


~Symphony~

by QwertiUwU (Cherri_Pop)



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/M, Multi, Spoilers, Time Travel Fix-It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-08-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:01:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 30,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25375825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cherri_Pop/pseuds/QwertiUwU
Summary: "A killing game that shouldn't have happened.  A fate that no one had deserved. Circumstances full of fear and despair. What if it was a lie? What if it never happened? What if the people you cared about could be saved? What if you could, Restart..?"I do not own the characters or Danganronpa (obviously).  With that being said, I hope you enjoy reading!
Relationships: Akamatsu Kaede & Saihara Shuichi, Akamatsu Kaede/Saihara Shuichi, Harukawa Maki & Saihara Shuichi & Yumeno Himiko, Harukawa Maki/Momota Kaito, Momota Kaito & Saihara Shuichi
Comments: 7
Kudos: 74





	1. Prologue (Start of Act 1)

A bright, almost blinding light was in front of us. Maki Harukawa, Himiko Yumeno, and I, Shuichi Saihara, were the survivors of this awful, tragic killing game. All of our sacrifices and all of our choices lead to this very moment. All of the tears, all of the heartbreaks we can't take back. All of the regrets I have, I can't let them hold me back. I have to keep moving forward. For Kaede, for Kaito, for everyone. I can't be afraid anymore.

"We've come this far. We can't stay here forever," Maki stated as she started walking towards the light. Himiko and I trailed behind, stepping into the light.

When I stepped into the light, for a moment, I was filled with hope. I could finally escape this nightmare! Then, nothing. It was completely dark. I had this feeling of dread, of worry. I was alone. I tried feeling my surroundings, but I couldn't grasp anything.

Where was Harukawa?

Where was Yumeno?

I ended up walking for what felt like an eternity when I saw a dot of light in front of me. I immediately headed towards the light. What greeted me there was a field. Blue skies, flowers, nothing out of the ordinary. It felt safe. Too safe. I walked cautiously, trying to see if Maki or Himiko would show up.

A mysterious figure suddenly showed up behind me. I ran, trying to get away, but everything felt like it was slowing down, and soon I wasn't able to run. The mysterious figure looked almost like me, but they seemed to have bad intentions. Navy hair that almost looked black, pale yellow eyes, they looked almost identical to me, apart from their clothing.

"You must be wondering why I look so much like you, right?" the mysterious figure asked. I nodded, cautious about my movements.

"Well, to put it simply, I am a reflection of yourself. I don't actually have an identity, I'm just mirroring your interpretation of what the 'mysterious figure' is to you."

How did they know I thought of them as a 'mysterious figure'? Well, now's definitely not the time to wonder about small stuff like that. "What are you getting out of trying to talk to me?" I inquired.

"One thing. Entertainment. Not just by talking to you, but in general. I know that deep down, you want to save all your classmates that have died. You want to Restart. You want to prevent it from happening. The murders, the deaths, all of it. You especially want to save Kaede Akamatsu, am I correct?"

I stayed silent. It was true. I didn't want anyone to die, and if I had the power to prevent it, I would have. "How would this bring you entertainment?" I asked.

"Watching you try to save everyone would be very entertaining."

Wait. Do they-? No, it's impossible. You can't just do something like that so easily.

"Did you forget? I'm not human. What may be impossible for you is not impossible to me. If you wanted, I could send you back before the killing game had begun. All you need to do is ask, and I'll do as you wish. But, may I warn you, use this opportunity wisely. There is a very low chance you'll get this opportunity again," The figure stated.

I wasn't surprised that they knew what I was thinking, but, there had to be a catch, right?

"Is there something else I need to know?" I asked, staring at the figure for an answer.

"I'll let you figure that out. I don't need to answer every one of your questions. But I'll say one last thing. Your actions will change how the game goes. Depending on your actions, you can change everyone's fate, for better or worse."

I took that to heart and finally agreed on resetting the past.

The next thing I knew, everything went dark once again.


	2. Like Nothing Ever Happened

Shuichi Saihara's P.O.V

It was pitch black, apart from three slots of light shining in. I was in a locker. I pushed the locker door in front of me, and the next thing I knew I was collapsed on the floor. I flinched with pain for a moment.

I looked up and saw a girl. She had blonde hair that fell onto her shoulders, and lilac eyes brimming with curiosity. It was Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate Pianist. She was standing in front of me, alive and well.

I wanted to tell her everything, how much I missed her, how happy I was, but I quickly realized that she wouldn't understand me. I had to act how I did before, otherwise, I might not like the outcome. I stood up slowly, pretending to be shocked.

"Do you have any idea on what's going on?!" Kaede yelped, completely confused as to what had happened.

"I don't, I'm in the same amount of confusion as you are," I responded, knowing very well what was happening.

"Okay, well then the next best thing to do is to stay calm!"

I was expecting a few certain monsters to show up after that, and they did. They explained our situation, told us to explore the school and get accustomed to our new classmates. It was happening in the exact same way it happened the first time.

They left after explaining, which left Kaede and me in the room alone. "Hey, are you an Ultimate student too?" Kaede looked at me, patiently waiting for an answer.

I paused for a moment, then I responded. "Y-Yeah...I'm Shuichi Saihara. I'm the Ultimate Detective..err well-"

"What? You're a detective? That's amazing!" She looked starry-eyed when she said that, which in turn, made me blush lightly.

"Ah, well, I'm more of an apprentice. I just happened to solve a case, and well, people call me that now," I corrected her. If I were to be honest, I wished I didn't have to introduce myself all over again. But it could also benefit me, knowing what would happen next and being able to plan out how to prevent certain things.

As I expected, she assured me that what I did was something not many people could do and that I should be more confident in myself.

"Oh, I almost forgot to introduce myself! I'm-"

"Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate Pianist" I accidentally blurted out.

She paused for a moment, then looked at me in a confused manner. I flushed pink with embarrassment.

"I-I'm sorry! I just knew who you were from...your performances," I tried my best to make it not look like I was a stalker or weirdo, but I think I just made her more uncomfortable. I already ruined her first impression of me. Great, just great.

She then spoke, breaking my train of thought. "You've seen one of my performances?! Wait, which one? Were you investigating something? Where did you hear about me from?-" She was just bombarding me with multiple questions at once, so it was overwhelming. She finally stopped asking me questions when she noticed how red I was from all of them. I thought I might've gotten better with my interactions with people, but then again Kaede isn't just anyone.

"A-Ahh! I'm so sorry! I guess I got slightly carried away," She looked down at the floor, looking slightly embarrassed at losing her composure. I accepted her apology, of course. She then suggested that we look around the academy, trying to find a possible way out. She also mentioned that If we find any other students, we should talk to them.

I nodded and followed her out of the classroom. I immediately felt anxious when we stepped outside into the hallways. The air felt heavy, and I started to recall all that had happened here. All the murders, all the executions. I almost broke in tears until Kaede spoke abruptly.

"Oh! There's someone over there!" I looked towards where Kaede was pointing, and I saw her.

She had long blue hair and equally blue eyes. She was Tsumugi Shirogane, the Ultimate Cosplayer. I utterly despised her, but I tried my absolute hardest to not shoot her a glare. She was the one that was behind all of this, she was the Mastermind. Not only was she the Mastermind, but Tsumugi framed Kaede for a murder that she did and executed Kaede even though she was completely innocent. That was the second biggest reason I loathed her. She was the one that took Kaede away from me. I will never forgive such a cruel, heartless person like her. We did our introductions and left.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Time had passed, and we eventually introduced ourselves to everyone except for two people. Himiko Yumeno and Maki Haruwaka, the other two who had survived with me. Kaede and I eventually found them, talking to each other. I found this very weird, as they never were close enough to just start talking to each other before the killing game began. Everything else was almost the exact same as the first time, except for this. When they saw us approaching them, they went completely silent. Maki and Himiko stared at me for a little while until Kaede once again broke the silence.

"Do you three all know one another? You all keep staring at one another. Did something happen?"

Maki replied with a quick "No," and left the area.

Before she left, she looked back at me with her intense red eyes for a brief moment, then left with her long, brunette hair trailing behind her. Himiko followed and looked almost sad when she left. I had a feeling those two knew a lot more then what they were leading on.

Kaede then spoke again. "Saihara, are you sure you don't know those two? Please be honest with me." She looked at me with reassuring eyes.

I wanted to tell her about it all, but she probably wouldn't believe me and it could potentially ruin my chance at saving everyone, so I didn't.

"No, I have no idea who those two were," I replied.


	3. Let the Killing School Semester Begin Once Again!

Shuichi Saihara's P.O.V

We then heard a bell from behind us. The noise came from a monitor. On the monitor, it showed a very blurry and glitched image of a silhouette of what I assumed to be Monokuma.

"Puhuhu! Please make your way to the gym! The opening ceremony will begin once everyone has arrived!"

The monitor then shut off, leaving everything silent once again. The odd, eerie, high pitched voice still rang in my ears.

"Should we head there, Akamatsu?"

Kaede nodded and replied "We should. Everyone else probably is, and besides, I'm more worried about what happens if we don't go,"

She somehow still managed to keep a smile on her face during most of the nonsense happening around her. That was one thing I admired about her. She always kept her head high and acted positive to encourage and motivate others. Her smile was probably one of the only things that kept me motivated to look for the secret behind this academy, well, before she...got executed.

We headed to the gym as Monokuma instructed, and saw all of our classmates already there. Small conversations went here and there until these five, gigantic robots called Exisals surrounded us. Everyone was in shock, and I acted shocked along with them. A blond-pale green-haired boy with a calm, collected expression approached the Exisals, coolly asking what they wanted from all of us. He was Rantaro Amami, who at the time didn't know what his own talent was. I, along with a few others, later found out that he was the "Ultimate Survivor" of a previous killing game.

A blue and green colored Exisal both responded. "It's a killing game!"

"...W-What?"

I looked to my right to see Kaede in complete shock. Everyone else was also replying in a similar manner, with a few "huh"s and "what"s being said as well. We then heard the same odd and eerie high pitched voice that came on the monitor speak out. It was Monokuma, the supposed headmaster of this academy. Five other teddy bears who looked somewhat similar to Monokuma came out of the Exisals and startd to banter with him. How much longer is this going to continue? I never remembered it taking this long. Monokuma and his...kubs?? continued on to explain how the killings and trials work. I didn't need to hear it, because I was going to make sure it wouldn't happen. I would make sure everyone would make it out of here alive, even if it costed my own life. I was completely lost in thought, but I managed to come back to reality just after Monokuma finished his very long explanation.

"W-Wait!! No matter what you say, we won't do it! We won't participate in this killing game!" Kaede shouted out. Her fists were clenched, and her eyes were filled with anger.

"I welcome your rebuttals, Ms. Akamatsu! That defiant spirit of yours is very important to the killing game! I'm very excited to see you gradually fall into despair... and SNAP! I'm veerry curious as to what your killing methods would be~. Maybe drowning? Or hanging? No, maybe-"

"STOP. Please, just stop," I interrupted. I didn't want to hear anymore.

"Puhuhu~ It never gets old. Always one defending another, until they end up betraying you. It's just so fun and entertaining to watch!"

"How will us killing one another benefit you?! What do you want from us!?"  
Kaede exclaimed at Monokuma and the five, smaller versions of themselves.

"Entertainment. And Despair. That's it."

That answer left everyone in complete silence. Monokuma and the Monokubs left shortly after.

Why did that answer sound so familiar?

Wait, why am I asking myself that? Of course it's familiar. He probably said the same thing the first time as well.

As I went back into reality, I saw everyone start heading out of the gym. Kaede was just standing there, looking at her monopad. It seemed like she was reading the school regulations. I decided to approach her. Maybe if I talk to her more, it might help prevent the possibility of her wanting to kill, of her getting executed again.

"Ka-Akamatsu, are you alright? You seem to have a lot on your mind." She jumped at my sudden question and responded in a thoughtful tone.

"No, I'm fine Saihara," She put on a smile, but it didn't seem genuine.

"Akamatsu, don't let Monokuma's words get to you. I trust you enough to know that you wouldn't purposefully harm someone, let alone kill someone just to get out."

"Why do you trust me so much, Saihara? You've only known me for, like, a day and you already trust me."

"..."

I didn't know what to say, so I just said the first thing that came to my mind.

"You seem like a very kind, honest, and trustworthy person. That doesn't mean I completely trust you just yet, though."

She giggled at that last remark I had made.

"We should probably start heading back to the dorms, it seems like Nighttime hours are coming soon," Kaede reminded me as we started heading out of the gym.

Once we arrived at the dorms, Kaede and I parted ways as I headed to my room.

I was about to head to bed when suddenly my doorbell rang.


	4. I'm Not the Only One

Shuichi Saihara's P.O.V

Who would need to talk to me at this hour? I headed to the door and opened it. In front of me was Maki, with Himiko was behind her.

"Saihara, we need to speak with you."

Maki never approached me the first time. Neither did Himiko. Something isn't right. I followed Maki and Himiko to the courtyard in front of our dorms.

We all sat down in a semi-circle, and Maki began. "Do you remember being a survivor of this killing game..? Only you, Yumeno, and I were the only students to survive?"

I slowly nodded. I'm glad that I'm not the only one that remembers, but I wonder If they know that I was the one who restarted everything.

"Saihara, were you the one that reset time?"

I nodded once again to Maki's question. "Why are you asking me these questions, Harukawa?"

"Because Yumeno and I didn't somehow manage to take us back in time."

I decided to tell Himiko and Maki the plan I had for trying to save everyone. I also told them about the mysterious figure and what they did.

"Okay, so you want to prevent the killing, and you also want to expose Tsumugi as the mastermind?" Himiko questioned, basically summarizing what I wanted to do.

"Y-Yes, but, I don't know where to start, especially Akamatsu. I want to help her, but I need to know when she starts having these bad thoughts so that I can stop them from continuing."

Maki looked lost in thought for a few seconds, then answered. "What were you doing at this point in time?"

"Well, I was just talking and hanging out with people, but mostly Akamatsu. Now that I think about it, I think where her fate turned into her getting executed was when I showed her the secret door in the library."

Maki stared at me for a while, progressively getting more and more annoyed as time went by.

"OH." I lightly smacked my head. I should have thought of that a lot sooner.

"I can see why you consider yourself more of an apprentice, you're very slow at picking up on things." Her tone sounded harsh, but her small smirk showed that she was just teasing me.

"But, I don't think ignoring the door would be the best idea. If we're trying to expose Tsumugi, that door will help us." Himiko was surprisingly the one who added that comment.

"You're right. Well, the next best thing I can do is keep a close eye on both Akamatsu and Amami for these next few days." I needed to keep an eye on Rantaro because there's still a potential chance of Tsumugi still murdering him and trying to pin the blame on Kaede.

We also talked about some other plans relating to the other murders and potential murders/ victims. I headed back to my dorm, confident in our plan. I plopped down onto my bed and fell asleep.

I woke up earlier than the morning announcement, so I just decided to get ready early. Even though my room wasn't that messy, I cleaned it up to try and pass some time.

The morning announcement played, and I went to Kaede's dorm. I agreed to keep a close eye on her, so being around her often gives her fewer opportunities to plan out a murder. Plus, I want to spend more time with her. I knocked on her door, and she answered.

"Good morning, Saihara!"

"Good morning, Akamatsu."

After greeting one another, we went to the dining hall for breakfast. As we made our way there, I then remembered to mention it to her. "There's something I'd like to show you, so whenever you have the chance, could you come with me to the library?"

"Of course! We could head there after breakfast."

I was just hoping that I wouldn't regret showing her the hidden door later.

Once we arrived, Monokuma was there, surrounded by our classmates.

"Wonderful! Everyone's here! As most of you know, I have an announcement to make! Now, I know very well that just because someone gets thrown into a killing game doesn't mean that they'll immediately start to kill one another. So, I thought, why not give everyone a reason to kill? A motive!"

"Your logic is hard to follow," K1-B0, the Ultimate Robot, was the one who said that.

"Now then, the special motive I've prepared is called the First Blood Perk! For the first murder that occurs, no trial will be held! The first person to kill someone will get to graduate and leave. Just go ahead and kill! The first one's free after all."

This wasn't the motive that started it, but the motive that did is starting to get closer. Everyone was making comments here and there, like "This is so messed up!" and "I'd never do such a thing!" but deep down everyone was doubting one another, worried about someone killing them.

"Do you really think we're going to kill someone just to get out? In your dreams! We're going to escape this place together, I promise that!" Kaede declared that with confidence.

"Kaede, do you honestly think we all feel the same way? Some of us might be scheming on how to murder one of us behind our backs. With all of that in mind, I'd be careful if I were you Kaede," a short boy wearing a checkered patterned scarf with messy purple hair added.

His name was Kokichi Oma, and he was the Ultimate Supreme Leader. He was known for his lies, like lying about him being the Mastermind. He supposedly sacrificed himself to end the killing game, but I still struggle to believe it completely since he lied very often.

After that remark, Monokuma left. Everyone else remained silent as they ate breakfast.

Soon, Kaede and I finished our breakfast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you say someone's first name when you aren't that close to a person, it is considered rude and disrespectful (I think). So when Maki, Himiko, and Shuichi use Tsumugi's first name when mentioning her out loud, it's because they have little to no respect towards her after finding out she's the mastermind. The same also went for when Kokichi called Kaede by her first name. So it's intentional, not a writing mistake!


	5. It's Okay to Cry

Shuichi Saihara's P.O.V

"Hey, Saihara. Is it okay if we go to the library a bit later? I'm kinda tired right now, so I want to take a short nap." She smiled at me, but her smile was fake once again.

Now that I think about it, she hasn't had a genuine smile in a while.

"Of course, Akamatsu. I don't mind," I told her reassuringly.

She then stood up and left. I also left and went to my dorm to read a few books that I had wanted to catch up on.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kaede Akamatsu's P.O.V.

I headed to my room, making sure to lock the door behind me. Once I did, I removed the fake smile on my face. I started to tear up, and dropped to my bed, crying. I had bottled up most of my emotions up to this point, so I just let it all out. I was sad, angry, frustrated, and had many other emotions all at the same time.

What did any of us do to be put in such a terrible situation?! Why? why..? I cried for what seemed like half an hour. My crying started to die down into sniffles when I heard a ring from my door.

Shoot! Someone's here! I ran to the bathroom, washing my face to make it seem like I wasn't crying. I then went back and opened the door. It was Shuichi.

"Akamatsu, are you alright? You've been in here for two hours already."

Two hours?! I didn't think I was crying for THAT long. He then noticed how my eyes were still slightly red from all the crying.

"...Have you been crying?"

"N-No! Of course not! I'm completely fine! I promise." I plastered a smile on my face to show that I was fine.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shuichi Saihara's P.O.V.

I didn't believe that she wasn't crying. She sounded less energetic and her eyes were slightly red and watery.

"Akamatsu, please be honest with me."

"..."

Kaede stood there, completely silent. A similar situation like this had happened the first time, but I didn't mention to her that I noticed she was crying.

"...It's okay to cry sometimes. You can't keep all your emotions bottled up, it's unhealthy. Besides, given the situation we're in, it's completely normal to feel sad about it. None of this is your fault."

Tears started to stream down her face. I quickly went up to her and embraced her. She hugged me back and we stayed this way for around five minutes.

"S-Saihara, do you think I'm forceful? Do you think I'm annoying?"

"Not really. I think you're just...too selfless. You want to help everyone, so you try to think of what everyone wants. But in reality, you try to focus on getting the thing everyone wants, and you forget to think that not everyone might actually want it. It ironically turns you selfish in a way. W-Well, not intentionally selfish!"

"...Thank you."

"F-For what?"

"For comforting me."

I blushed a slight pink at that comment. We finally let go of each other after what seemed like a few minutes. I didn't mind how long the moment lasted. In fact, I wished the moment lasted a little longer.

"We should probably start heading to the library. You said you wanted to show me something, right?"

Her smile was a genuine one this time, a smile I had not seen in a long time.

"Yes, I did say that."

We arrived at the library. "Okay, before I mention anything else, promise me that you'll keep this a secret," Kaede made eye contact with me as I said that.

Usually, if someone tried to make eye contact with me, I would look away immediately. But, I felt comfortable with Kaede looking into my eyes. I think it might be because I know she would never look at me in a hostile way.

"I promise."

In detail, I began explaining the hidden door, how I found it, and what it could mean.

"This could mean that one of us is possibly behind this whole killing game, the mastermind. This is just my hypothesis, though."

Kaede looked completely shocked as I told her this, unable to believe that one of us could do such a thing.

"If we catch the mastermind behind it all, will we be able to stop this killing game?" I confirmed Kaede's question with a nod.

"I also thought that this might not be the only door the mastermind goes through. There could be several doors."

This was a possibility that I overlooked, which caused everyone, including me and Kaede, to believe that Kaede was Rantaro's murder. I know now that I need to find that hidden door before the killing game begins so that the killing game will never start.

"Maybe we should look around the school again. If there's a possibility that there are more hidden doors, we should try to find them!" Kaede responded.

We then exited out of the library, looking for the other hidden door. I knew where the door was, but it was a place I absolutely would not go in if I had a choice. We checked everything except the restrooms, so we went there next.

"I'll check the girl's restroom while you check the boy's." Kaede went into the girl's restroom while I went into the boy's.

The restroom had a storage room, so I checked it. It didn't have a hidden door like I previously thought. I guess the girl's restroom was the only one that had the hidden door. I mean, it makes sense. Tsumugi is a female. I went back outside into the hallway to see Kaede waiting for me.

"Did you find anything, Akamatsu?"


	6. The Hidden Passageway

Shuichi Saihara's P.O.V

"I didn't see anything strange, what about you Saihara?"

"No, nothing out of place."

She didn't find the hidden door? Wait, maybe if I ask...

"Did the girls' bathroom have a storage room?"

"...I think so! I'll go check!"

She then went back into the restroom. After a few moments, she rushed back into the hallway.

"Saihara! There's a hidden passage in the storage room! We need to check it out!"

"W-Wait! Are you sure I should...go in there..?"

Kaede then realized what I meant and blushed a light pink. I wasn't just going to go in there without a girl's permission at least!

"It should be fine. I mean, I don't think you are the type to do...that type of stuff. Besides, this is important!"

I reluctantly agreed and we both went in. The passage was there, just like last time.

"Could this lead to the room behind that hidden door?" Kaede inquired.

"Well, there's only one way to find out." I went into the passageway and Kaede followed.

As we were walking, I had a thought. What would we do if Tsumugi was there? She could create Monokumas and kill us. But, then how would she explain our deaths? Suddenly, Kaede and I both heard footsteps behind us. We both froze, not knowing if we needed to run or stay in place.

I immediately calmed down once I saw them. It was Maki and Himiko, and they both had a similar face of relief when they saw us.

"H-Harukawa!? Yumeno!?" Kaede stammered. "How did you guys-?"

"We saw the passageway and decided to investigate. We see you two did the same."

I told Maki and Himiko the situation (even though they already knew since we planned this) and we all walked along the passageway together. Maki held me back while Kaede and Himiko were a few steps ahead of us.

"Did you tell Akamatsu about it yet?" Maki said in a hushed voice, making sure Kaede couldn't hear us.

"No, I feel like she wouldn't take it well. I don't want to ruin the friendship I have with her now by telling her this."

"You need to tell her, along with everyone else, eventually Saihara," Maki left the conversation at that, and we catched up with Kaede and Himiko.

We reached a doorway, and to our surprise, it wasn't locked.

"Should we go in?" Kaede questioned.

"What would be the point of coming here if we don't go in? I'm going in, but you don't have to." Maki stated and headed to the doorway, and Himiko followed.

Kaede looked worried, scared about what could happen.

"Don't worry, Akamatsu. Maki is a lot stronger than you think. Plus, if anything comes to harm us, I'll try my hardest to protect you guys."

"...How can you say embarrassing things so easily? I don't understand you sometimes, Saihara,"

Kaede giggled as she said that, and I started to laugh as well.

"Are you lovebirds coming or not?" Himiko (surprisingly) shouted out. We quickly ran to them, flushed by that comment.

We entered the room. It was the mastermind's room. Luckily, Tsumugi wasn't here, so we didn't need to worry about confrontations yet. We all looked around the room, trying to find evidence of who the mastermind was.

"I can't find anything on who the mastermind is!" Kaede groaned. She then went to my area to see how I was doing. "Have you found anything yet, Saihara?"

"No, I can't find any clues or evidence."

Maki and Himiko came and told us that they couldn't find anything either.

"Nighttime hours are coming soon, we should probably start heading back," Maki voiced. She started to head out, and we all followed.

We arrived at the dorms a few minutes before the announcements turned on. Maki and Himiko went to their dorms first while Kaede and I stayed behind.

"How are we even going to catch the mastermind, and show proof to the others?" Kaede pondered.

An idea came to my head. I did this same idea last time, but it didn't work out. Maybe, since we found out about the other door, it could work.

"We could try to get photographic evidence of the mastermind," I suggested.

"Where would we get the cameras?" Kaede wondered.

"The warehouse probably has it. I don't see why not since the warehouse has basically everything we can think of." The nighttime announcement came on after I said that.

After the announcement ended, Kaede and I parted ways, agreeing on getting the cameras for tomorrow.

I woke up before the morning announcement once again. I meant to wake up early this time as Kaede and I agreed to get the cameras as early as possible. We decided that we would get the cameras before anyone else was awake to avoid suspicious stares. I quickly got dressed and knocked on Kaede's door. No response. I knocked again, but no answer. I turned the doorknob, and it was unlocked. I started to become nervous. I went into her dorm. She wasn't there. I knocked on her bathroom door. No response. She isn't here.

Where is she?


	7. Melody

Shuichi Saihara's P.O.V

I went out of Kaede's dorm room and looked for her. It was around two hours before the announcement would come on, so I still had time. I checked the warehouse, the library, everywhere we were allowed at this time. I was getting more and more worried. Did something happen to her? Did someone...? No, I can't be thinking about that! I then recalled a place I haven't checked. I went to Kaede's Ultimate Lab. I checked everywhere else, so I might as well try looking there.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kaede Akamatsu's P.O.V

I woke up before the announcement like me and Shuichi agreed on. I quickly got dressed and rushed to his dorm. I knocked lightly on the door to not make a lot of noise. He didn't respond. I tried once more, but still no response. I came to the conclusion that he probably was still asleep. Maybe I could play the piano in my lab while I wait. It could relive any extra stress I have and motivate me.

Yeah, I'll go do that.

I arrived at my lab a few moments later. The piano was in mint condition, and it looked almost exactly like the piano I had at my house. There were a few chairs on the side, and there were shelves brimming with music sheets. I sat down in front of the piano and played whatever came to mind.

I played compositions from Beethoven, Motzart, Chopin, Debussy, and many others. I was just lost in the notes and music, making me lose track of time. All of the worries I had before just melted away. This was one of the reasons why I loved the piano so much. It takes away all the worries that you may have in the world, and it's so relaxing and satisfying to hit all the right notes at the right time. All the notes on a piano have the potential to create a beautiful melody and the potential to brighten someone's day. I continued to play until I noticed Shuichi.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shuichi Saihara's P.O.V

As I got closer to her lab, I heard the piano being played. It sounded flawless, every note being hit with correct timing. Kaede was most likely in there. My assumption was correct, as I opened the door to find her playing the piano. She looked very content and relaxed as if she didn't have to worry about anything. I probably looked like a creep, but I just stood there as she played. I didn't want to interrupt her, especially with how happy she seemed. Eventually, she noticed me and stopped.

"How long have you been in here for?" She looked slightly embarrassed as she asked me.

"Um...I think around 10 minutes."

Awkward silence broke on us two.

"...How long have you been playing the piano for?" I inquired, trying to get rid of the awkwardness.

"Probably ever since I was five. I loved to play it every chance I got when I was younger. Not that different from how I am today actually. While everyone else was doing normal stuff for their age, I just kept to myself, practicing compositions for contests. People nicknamed me Piano Freak for it." Kaede looked slightly bothered by something, but I don't think it's right to ask about it now.

"Well, since I told you something about me, it's your turn! Hmmm...Oh! Why do you always think that you don't deserve to be an Ultimate? If the Ultimate Initiative chose you as the Ultimate Detective, there's no doubt you have talent!"

Now that I think about it, I still haven't told her. "Because I'm not a real detective. I shouldn't have been picked as the Ultimate Detective."

Kaede looked at me with concern for a brief moment.

"Saihara, why do you think that? Why are you so harsh on yourself?"

I looked down, avoiding eye contact with Kaede. "...I never really wanted to become a detective. My uncle is in charge of a detective business, and I would help sometimes as an apprentice. I usually just did cases around cheating couples, background checks, and missing pets. I came across a murder case one day and solved it before the police and other detectives could. That's when the Ultimate Initiative took interest in me, even though I only solved that one case."

I looked up and saw a clock on the wall in front of me. It was 7:15 a.m. We only had 45 minutes before morning announcements!

"Akamatsu, we need to get the cameras. Morning announcements will come on soon, so we need to hurry!" Kaede briefly nodded as a response, and we quickly headed to the warehouse.

When we arrived, I saw...shot put balls in a wooden box nearby. I need to keep a very close eye on Kaede from here on out. I can't let this happen all over again. I just can't.

"Akamatsu, could you come with me to look for the cameras?"

"Sure!"

We looked for the cameras, and we eventually found them, along with a few other important things. They were disposal cameras and would make a flash when taking a picture. Luckily, Miu Iruma, The Ultimate Inventor, exists. Miu could modify the cameras to our needs. I told Kaede about this idea, and we went to Miu.

With a bit of begging and Miu making a few lewd comments, we got her to modify the cameras.

Everything was going well so far.

I knew I wanted to do a few more things as well:

1\. Talk to Rantaro more. If I talked to him, he could have someone to trust about his secrets, and I could uncover the mystery behind him, which could help lower the chances of history repeating itself.

2\. Talk to Kokichi more. I always knew that despite his childish behavior, he always knows a lot more than what he's letting on. He could also help uncover the truth behind Tsumugi a lot faster, so befriending him might be a good idea or a bad idea.

With these things in mind, Kaede and I left the cameras with Miu and went to our rooms.


	8. I Care About You

Shuichi Saihara's P.O.V

Kaede and I agreed to start the plan tomorrow since we needed to give Miu some time to work on the cameras. I was reading a novel when I heard a knock on my door. I got up and opened the door. It was Kaede herself.

"Hey! I'm kinda bored right now, so do you want to hang out?"

I nodded.

"Sure. Where would you like to go?"

"Hmmm..." Kaede pondered. "If you would like, we could go to my lab!"

I nodded in agreement, and we walked to her lab. Once we arrived, Kaede sat down in front of her piano. I knew I wanted to hear her play since I was never able to listen to her play before.

"Akamatsu, if you don't mind, could you play a song? It's fine if you don't want to-"

"Saihara! Of course I'll play for you! But only on one condition," Kaede pouted when she said that. I would be lying if I said I didn't find it cute.

"What would be the condition?"

"For you to stop putting yourself down and being negative! I want you to be more confident in yourself. Can you promise me that?"

"...I don't know yet." Kaede then looked up at me with caring eyes, making eye contact.

"Saihara, I know we only have known each other for a few days, but if something's bothering you, I want you to know that you can tell me. I...care about you, and I want to help you in any way I can."

She gave me a warm smile. I felt safe around her, like nothing bad would happen if I was with her. I hate having to think about this, but I can't tell her. Not yet.

Kaede patted the spot next to her, gesturing me to sit beside her. Once I sat down, she turned to me once again.

"Is there any specific song you would like me to play?"

There was one, but, would Kaede still recommend it to me? Well, one way to find out. "Nothing really. You can choose."

"In that case, how about I play...Clair de Lune? It has a really calm feeling to it, and I think you would enjoy it!"

After she told me that, she took a deep breath and began to play it. The piece looked complex to me, but Kaede played it with complete ease. She hit every note perfectly, without one slip-up. The song was comforting yet sad to me in a way. Maybe because of the song's tone or how Kaede played it. Or maybe that Kaede is here, alive at this moment, playing the piano with a content look on her face as if nothing bad had happened to her.

Kaede finished the piece and paused for a moment as if she was processing the fact that the song was over.

"Well, what did you think?" Kaede turned to face me.

"I-I thought it sounded nice." She gave a small smile.

"I'm glad you liked it."

It was silent for a few moments before Kaede spoke again.

"Um, Saihara...if you don't mind me asking, why do you always wear that hat? I haven't seen you without it, so I'm slightly curious."

I still had my hat on now that I think about it. I never really noticed it. "Do you remember when I talked to you about the first homicide case I had solved?"

"Yes, but because we didn't have time to talk about it, you didn't finish the story. I think you still needed to go more into detail about the case," Kaede recalled.

I picked up on where I left off. "The murder of the case had killed the victim in vengeance. The victim had driven a person close to the murder to commit suicide. In reality, the victim was a really bad person. When I lead the police to the murder, he had this look of pure anger in his eyes. Those eyes were directed towards me. I felt like I made the wrong choice. Ever since, it's been hard for me to make eye contact with most people. Whenever I make eye contact with someone, I see those eyes filled with hatred and anger."

Kaede then noticed how my hands were shaking. I thought I moved on from this incident, but I guess I was wrong.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kaede Akamatsu's P.O.V

When Shuichi was done talking about the case, I noticed how badly his hands were shaking. Without thinking, I held both of his hands.

"Saihara, I'm so sorry. You shouldn't have to go through this. You did the right thing. No one should be murdered out of cold blood, no matter the circumstances. ... I may not have had similar situations as you, but I'll do my best to comfort you."

Shuichi gave me a warm, shy smile as I said that. I realized what I just did and blushed.

"Ah! Sorry! I wasn't thinking-"

"It's fine Akamatsu. Thank you for caring."

We both had somewhat flustered faces. *God Kaede! Why are you such an idiot!?*

"Umm... Akamatsu?"

"Yeah?"

"We should probably start heading to the dining hall. It's 5:45, and dinner is at 6:00," Shuichi reminded me.

I nodded in agreement, and with that, we headed over there. I'm glad I managed to learn more about him. I hope we can stay friends once we get out of here.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shuichi Saihara's P.O.V

As we went to the dining hall, one thing kept coming across my mind. When would the next motive be announced? It hasn't been announced yet, and I think the day that it should have been announced has already passed. Maybe the decisions I've made led up to this point and changed a few things? I guess the mysterious figure was right.

We arrived at the dining hall and everyone there greeted us. We sat down and ate, with a few conversations here and there. After dinner, Kaede told me she would go to her lab to play a little more. She left, and I decided to head to the library to read a few books (and to see if Tsumugi would show up). Instead, I was greeted with another voice.

"Shumai, what are you three hiding?"


	9. Suspicious

Shuichi Saihara's P.O.V

"W-What?"

I looked up from my position and saw Kokichi Oma.

"You know exactly what I meant Saihara. What are you, Harukawa, and Yumeno planning?"

Kokichi's face seemed completely expressionless. No smirk, grinning eyes, or anything of the like. Just a cold, icy stare.

Why was he asking me something like this? Did he happen to hear one of our conversations?

"You do know staying silent makes you more suspicious, right? For all I know, you could be the mastermind," Kokichi remarked. He didn't look or act how he usually does. He's being really serious.

"I'm not the mastermind, Kokichi. If I was, I would have probably ordered Monokuma to kill or get rid of you by now."

After defending myself, his gaze softened.

"I guess you're not lying. Liers like me can tell when someone is lying, and you don't seem to have lied."

His face then quickly turned into a playful smile.

"So Shumai, why have you been hanging out with Harumaki and Himimeno lately? You guys planning a three-way murder or something?"

"N-No! Of course not! Why are you so curious as to why I'm hanging out with them?"

"Why should I not be curious then?"

I sighed at his comment. Well, I should be glad that he's acting normally again. The way he acted before was unsettling to me.

"Are you going to answer me Shumai, or..?"

I was still silent. Should I tell him? Well, maybe. If he can tell when I'm telling the truth or a lie, then he could be able to tell that I'm not lying about that. I took a moment to think about what I wanted to say, then spoke.

"Oma, if I tell you this, will you promise me not to mention it to anyone but Harukawa and Yumeno?"

"Well, that depends on what you want to tell me."

I guess I could tell him. He doesn't seem like the type to gossip, at least about what I'm going to tell him. Here goes nothing.

"Yumeno, Harukawa, and I came from the future. We know who the mastermind is, who will kill who, and many more things. We came back in time because I wanted to save you all."

Kokichi's face then turned serious after that response. He analyzed my posture and body language to see if I was lying. A face of pure shock appeared on Kokichi's face when he realized I wasn't lying.

"H-How is that even possible..?" Kokichi questioned.

"I don't know. A miracle of some sort I guess," I answered.

At this point, Kokichi was completely out of character.

"So you're saying after all these days have passed, you could've done something about it. You have everything you need to know, HELL, YOU KNOW WHO THE MASTERMIND IS, AND YOU DO NOTHING?? You said you wanted to save us, right? Well, you're doing a terrific job!"

Kokichi made direct eye contact with me. He had this look of hatred, of anger when he those things. It wasn't a mask. It was his true feelings that he showed.

Everything around me started to slow down, and my breathing became faster.

"S-Stop!" I panicked.

Everything was getting blurry, and I felt like I was being watched everywhere. I couldn't think straight, I felt dizzy. I blacked out, but before I did, I heard a faint "Saihara!" 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kokichi Oma's P.O.V

I was so pissed. How the hell do you just stand there doing NOTHING when you know so much!? We could have gotten out of this killing game by now. I had admired Shuichi for being the Ultimate Detective since that must have meant he was really smart. He could have been the one to finally see through that charade of lies..... Guess I was wrong.

I'm starting to question my ability of being able to detect liars since everything he said makes no sense. I made direct eye contact with him as I said my thoughts, and he reacted in a way I didn't expect. He was hyperventilating and it looked like he might have been having a ... Panic attack..??

"Saihara!" I shouted out.

Shit. What should I do!? Think, think, think! He's been awfully close to Himiko and Maki, maybe they can help! I'll try to find them. I rushed out of the library and went to find either Maki or Himiko. Why did he have to pass out at a time like this!?

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Maki Harukawa's P.O.V

I didn't eat lunch yet, so I decided to head to the dining hall. When I arrived, I saw Kirumi, Kaede, Angie, Ryoma, and Himiko already there.

It looked like Kirumi was preparing lunch for everyone. I wanted to change how I presented myself. I didn't want to be cold to everyone and push them away.

"Tojo, would you like me to help?" I offered.

"Thank you Harukawa, but it is my job to serve you, so please sit down and relax. The meal will be ready soon."

Well, at least I can say I tried. I sat down as Kirumi ordered, and overheard a conversation between Himiko and Kaede.

"...And that is why you should never have more than five people be subjects for magic!"

Looks like they're talking about magic. I can't tell if Himiko's delusional or wants to entertain others when talking about magic.

I was about to join the conversation when we all heard a door slam open. Kokichi briefly came in. What's it going to be this time?

"Okay, so I need help. Harumaki, Himimeno, come with me."

Himiko and I looked at each other for a brief moment, then looked back at Kokichi. I then responded.

"First, you don't have the right to call me that. Second, why do you need me and Yumeno?"

"You two are buddies with Shumai, right? Well, he passed out. I don't know if you two can help. I mean, it would be awful if you didn't help poor Shumai."

Wait, what? He passed out!? What did Kokichi do..? Before I could answer he already left. I audibly sighed. Himiko and I got up and headed to the door.

"Wait! Is it okay if I came along..?" Kaede requested.

"Sure. He probably would want you to come along as well, since you're also close to Saihara," I answered.

All three of us then headed to the library.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, that was a lot of P.O.V's to write.  
> Also, sorry if I made Kokichi a little bit too out of character.


	10. What Had Happened

Kaede Akamatsu's P.O.V

Shuichi passed out!? Why? Maki and Himiko were about to walk out when I spoke out.

"Wait! Is it okay if I came along..?"

Maki then looked at me and said it was fine. I was glad she accepted. I was slightly worried about him. I wanted to make sure he was all right.

We arrived at the library to see Shuichi leaning against a wall, fainted. Kokichi was there too. He was probably waiting for us to arrive. He sighed.

"Don't worry, he's not dead. Not yet anyway. Did you guys also get Kirumi? I forgot to ask her to come along."

We had also forgotten to ask Kirumi to come. She would be helpful in this situation since she's most likely to have medical knowledge. She is the Ultimate Maid, so she must be able to do most things, at least to a certain extent.

"We didn't-" Maki was interrupted by Kirumi entering the room.

"I decided to come along since I figured you may need my assistance. I'm sorry for barging in like this, but is my assistance required?" Kirumi inquired.

We all nodded, and Kirumi walked towards Shuichi's unconscious body. 

Monokuma (sadly) showed up, just explaining where medical supplies were and saying he would probably create a medical room for situations like this. He said, and I quote:

"The room will only be for treating people who are sick or are in non-fatal conditions. The only exception is if the person is in a fatal condition that is not caused by someone else. We don't want people dying by themselves now, do we?"

I can't wait to get out of here, I can say that.

After taking Shuichi to his room, Kirumi checked to see if he had any other conditions. Luckily, he just needed to rest.

"Well, now that we know Shuimai's fine, who's gonna keep watch?" Kokichi questioned.

Kirumi offered, but I felt like she had already done so much, so I offered instead. In the end, everyone agreed that I would watch over him until he woke up.

"Oma, what caused Saihara to faint?" Maki spoke out.

"I dunno, I was just talking to him about stuff and he suddenly started having a panic attack," Kokichi chirped.

He was probably lying. He had to at least have a hunch on what made Shuichi panic.

"Listen, I don't have a lot of patience to deal with your nonsense, so answer me honestly this time. What were you doing or talking to him about that caused him to react the way he did?" Maki looked irritated.

His face was blank for a moment before his childish attitude returned.

"It's none of your business!"

Kokichi and Maki then proceeded to bicker back and forth. Why would Shuichi have a panic attack like that? I remember him telling me something that could relate to this... Oh!

"Oma, were you by any chance angry at Saihara?" I questioned.

He stayed silent for a few moments, then responded.

"...Yes. Why?"

"Did you make direct eye contact?"

"Probably."

Aha! So I was right. I recall him talking to me about this. Shuichi doesn't like to make eye contact with people ever since that incident. I think that Oma staring directly into his eyes must have triggered that memory, causing him to panic.

I told everyone these thoughts, and they agreed that it was probably what had happened.

"Nyeh, well that's settled. We should probably get lunch now," Himiko had said with a tired look.

"Akamatsu, would you like me to bring you and Saihara lunch?" Kirumi offered.

I shook my head. "No, it's fine! I'll go get lunch for him when he wakes up." Kirumi nodded and everyone except me had left.

I set up a chair beside his bed and sat down. Shuichi looked peaceful while he slept.

"Why didn't you tell me about having panic attacks?" I sigh.

I got up and sat on his bed. I turned to him.

"I hope we all manage to get out of here together. I really hope this plan works. I don't want to resort to... doing that."

I knew I sounded silly and that Shuichi wouldn't hear me, but it still felt nice to vent it out. I returned to the chair and sat.

Kirumi then checked to see if Shuichi woke up. She checked again every so often, also asking me if I needed anything.

I was starting to become increasingly bored. A few more hours have passed, and Shuichi still hasn't woken up yet. I eventually fell asleep.

When I had opened my eyes, he was also awake.

"A-Akamatsu..? What happened?"

"You fainted. Kokichi had alerted us and we went to help you. I stayed here to make sure you were okay."

I felt a slight blush on my face as I said that, but I don't know why. Why would I be embarrassed about caring for my friend?

"Thank you, Akamatsu. I appreciate you watching over me."

"I didn't really do much, you should be thanking Tojo for helping you..." I stated.

As if on cue, Kirumi entered the room.

"Oh! Saihara! You're finally awake! How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling better now, thank you."

After Shuichi confirmed he was okay, Kirumi and I began to explain the situation to him in more detail. After explaining, we all went to the dining hall to give Shuichi a meal.

It was around 6:00 pm, I think. Kokichi was there, and we told him to apologize for what he did. He apologized, but it didn't seem genuine. After that, we went to retrieve the cameras from Miu, then left.

Nighttime hours were coming soon, so we headed to the dorms. Shuichi and I were in front of my dorm.

"Hey, Saihara. Are you sure you'll be able to do the plan tomorrow? You need to rest y'know."

"Don't worry Akamatsu, I'm fine."

I grabbed his hand. "You promise?"

He looked flustered from my sudden action but quickly shook it off. "I promise."

I headed to my door, but then remembered something.

"Saihara, tomorrow morning, can we talk about something?"

He turned around and responded. "Of course."


	11. Survivor Perk

Shuichi Saihara's P.O.V

What does Kaede want to talk about? ...Maybe that, but I'm not too sure yet.

I was waiting near Kaede's dorm room as I waited for her to get ready. We were going to execute the plan today, and even though I had done this before, I was still nervous.

As I waited, I realized I really haven't gotten that close to anyone other than Kaede. I should probably start spending time with more people. I should find time to do that. Well, I could also do that when we escape. Kaede walked out of her dorm, interrupting my train of thought.

"Good morning Saihara! So is it okay if I ask you the question later today? I feel like right now we should focus on the plan to make sure it won't fail!" Kaede spoke out with excitement.

"Of course. That's completely fine with me. We'll get started right after breakfast."

Kaede nodded at my reply and we headed to the dining hall once again.

When we arrived, a few people were already there. Rantaro, Kaito, Angie, and Gonta to name a few.

"Hey Saihara, I heard that you had a panic attack yesterday. Are you doing okay?" Rantaro inquired.

"Yeah, I'm feeling better now. It's nothing to worry about."

"Oh don't say that! All of us were worried sick! We can't lose one of our friends just like that!" Kaito chimed in.

They consider me as one of their friends already? It warmed my heart a little bit to see that people were worried about me.

We headed to the kitchen and served ourselves. I didn't serve myself much since I wanted to finish eating fast. Plus, I wasn't really hungry.

We sat down with them and had small conversations as we ate. Kaede looked at my plate and looked somewhat concerned.

"Saihara, are you not hungry?"

"I just don't feel like eating much, but I'm fine," I reassured her.

"I hope you're not starving yourself..." Kaede muttered.

It surprised me a little bit that she even noticed...Maybe it's just obvious and I'm overthinking it.

I finished and got up to wash my plate, and Kaede followed behind.

"So where will we place the first few cameras?" Kaede asked.

"Hmm...I would say maybe the girl's restroom since it is probably a more secluded spot to get into the room than the library." I realized that what I said sounded somewhat wrong out of context, and my face started to flush. "Uhh, w-well you'll do that since I shouldn't go in there."

"Saihara, we've been over this. It's fine since I know you won't do that type of stuff. Plus, it's important for you to be there since the mastermind could show up while we're setting up."

"But what if someone else walks in?" I pointed out.

We stayed in silence for a few minutes.

"Let's just hope it doesn't come to that," Kaede finally responds with an awkward smile.  
.  
.  
.

We went into the restroom to place the cameras. We placed one in the entrance of the storage room, one in the hallway, and finally one in front of the masterminds room door. After doing that, we headed to the library next. There, we saw... Rantaro!? He was opening the hidden door in the library.

"RANTARO!? What are you doing!?" Kaede exclaimed.

She was in complete disbelief in what she saw.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kaede Akamatsu's P.O.V

I couldn't believe it. Rantaro Amami, a friend I had grown to trust, was the mastermind. I didn't notice at first, but I was shaking. I was scared, angry, and heartbroken.

"A-Akamatsu, Saihara! It's not what it looks like!"

"Then would you mind explaining what the hell you're doing?" I snapped.

I wasn't one to quickly blame others, but this situation was different. We had to use whatever evidence we had. Plus, I would be lying if I didn't think Rantaro was suspicious from the beginning. He didn't know what his talent was, never really got too close to anyone, and overall just had slightly suspicious behavior.

I looked at Shuichi to see if he would add something, and his face was completely calm. Why isn't he also shocked? Maybe he just has to be like that as a detective?

"I-I just came across this door, and it opened up. I went to investigate. I'm not the mastermind, believe me," Rantaro defended.

I noticed he was holding something that looked similar to a monopad, but it looked slightly bigger.

"Amami, what is the thing you're carrying?" Shuichi questioned.

"It's my monopad, why?"

"Amami, that's not a monopad. Please answer us honestly. Lying just makes you more suspicious."

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shuichi Saihara's P.O.V

What is Rantaro doing here? Wait! He's probably investigating because of the Survivor Perk. I know he's not the mastermind, so it's probably just that. Kaede, on the other hand, probably thinks otherwise.

Rantaro was explaining himself but still hasn't mentioned it. He doesn't trust us yet. I asked him about the item he was holding, which I'm guessing is the Survivor Perk.

"It's my monopad, why?"

It's not. He's lying. I don't want Kaede to be misled, thinking he's the mastermind. It might result in...that happening again.

I told him to be honest with us. I want him to be able to trust us. That was one of the things that I regretted. Rantaro not telling us about something as important as this.

After a bit of silence, Rantaro gave in.

"...It's something called a Survivor Perk. It was given to me at the start. The Survivor Perk has a map of the entire academy and has given me a few clues about the mastermind. I didn't say anything about this becau- AKAMATSU LOOK OUT!" Rantaro shouted out.

Then I saw it. A shot put ball, falling towards Kaede!


	12. Survivor Perk II

Shuichi Saihara's P.O.V

The shot put ball was getting closer, and it felt like time was slowing down. I can't lose her like this. I won't lose her like this. I quickly pulled her into my arms, and the shot put ball hit the floor.

It created a dent on the floor, and I could only imagine how much worse it could have been if it hit Kaede's head. The impact of my pull caused us both to fall backward, and we hit the floor as well.

"S-Saihara..?" Kaede stuttered. She was in a complete daze, shocked as to what had just happened.

"Akamatsu, are you alright?" I asked.

"I-I'm fine, thank you."

I realized the position we were in. Kaede was laying on top of me, and I was leaning against a wall (again).

To make things even more awkward, Rantaro was right there, staring at us. As a result, I blushed quite a bit, and Kaede did as well.

"What the hell!? How did a shot put ball of all things get into a vent!?" Rantaro spoke out, breaking the silence.

After recovering from that awkward moment and position, I pondered that as well. How did a shot put ball get in the vent? I know this couldn't have happened on accident. Someone had to have planned this, but who? Kaede and I never entered the classroom, so it couldn't have been her. I don't think Rantaro did it, as he wouldn't have warned her if he did. Himiko and Maki are definitely out of the question.

Eleven possible suspects. Then, she came to mind. Does she already know what we're planning? Was she trying to...kill off Kaede because of this?

"Saihara? Are you there?" Rantaro snapped his fingers in front of my face, bringing me back to reality.

"Huh? Oh, sorry..."

"Do you have any idea who it could have been?" Kaede inquired.

"No, I don't," I lied.

As evil as Tsumugi is, I still have to find evidence that she could have been the one that placed the shot put ball. Plus, no one else other than me, Maki, and Himiko think Tsumugi is suspicious, let alone the mastermind. It wouldn't make sense for me to frame her at this time.

"We'll figure it out eventually. For now let's just be thankful that Saihara has quick reflexes, and that Akamatsu didn't die from that shot put ball," Rantaro stated.

"Well, anyway...What were you about to say earlier, Amami?" Kaede asked, wanting to change the subject.

"...We can talk about it more later."

"We can continue to talk about it, just in a different area. The person who set that shot put ball could still be watching," I added.

This was important. I needed to know more about that Survivor Perk from Rantaro himself. He could potentially give me more information about it then what I already have gathered last time. 

I'm glad to know that I'm at least making progress since this isn't what happened before.

In the end, we decided to go to Rantaro's dorm since the person who planted the shot put ball wouldn't be able to follow us, at least without getting caught.

"We should be safe here," Rantaro remarked as he closed the door to his room.

"Okay, so where was I...? Ah, I remember! I didn't tell anyone about this because I didn't know if I could trust anyone else with this information. I guess you could say I was suspicious of everyone and everything...Well, not anymore at least!"

"Huh?" Kaede and I said in unison.

"I feel like I can trust you two now, I mean, I don't think either of you can be the mastermind. Plus, it seems like you guys are trying to look for the mastermind yourself, and I feel like I can assist with that." Rantaro rubbed his neck in embarrassment.

I'm glad he's trusting us with this. "Well, tell us everything you know Amami!" Kaede exclaimed with a bright smile.

I felt a twinge of jealousy but quickly shook it off. We all giggled at Kaede's outburst of positivity.

.

.

.

Her P.O.V

Damn it! It didn't work! I thought I had her! I could have gotten away with it, and pinned the blame on him. *Sigh* They already know too much. I need to get rid of them, and fast. I leaned on my chair. Hmmm...Ah! Maybe if I do that, I can get rid of them! But that's a lot of work to plan...well, it'll be worth it.

I'll make sure I serve you justice, Junko Enoshima,

I promise...

.

.

.

Shuichi Saihara's P.O.V

It was getting late, so we had to finish up our meeting. We would continue to talk about the perk tomorrow.

Kaede, Rantaro, and I went to our respective dorms. I didn't feel sleepy, so I decided to catch up on that novel (again). Come to think of it, I only need a few more chapters. I was reading for about ten minutes when I heard a loud knock on my door.

"Coming!"

I put away the book and quickly put my shoes on before answering the door. It was Kaito.

"Hey Saihara! So I was wondering if you'd want to train with me and Makiroll? You seem kinda out of it lately, so I think training would fix that!"

I nodded and smiled in response. "Sure."

We headed to the courtyard, and there I saw two other people. Maki and...Kaede!?

"Oh! Hello Saihara and Momota! Harukawa invited me to join, so I hope you don't mind," Kaede gave a shy smile after she greeted us.

I noticed that Kaede had her hair up in a ponytail and she had taken off her vest. She looked...cute.

We greeted them back and started training. Kaito was slacking off as usual, and Maki was already done with her push-ups. Kaede also finished her push-ups after a few minutes. I then completed mine as well. Kaito was the only one who still hadn't finished. While we waited, we just talked about small topics. We shared a few laughs along with Kaito, and it felt like we weren't in such a bad situation.

Maki at one point whispered to me "You better thank me later for inviting your crush to hang out with us."

I blushed at that comment. "I-I don't have a crush on her!" I whisper shouted back.

I mean, Kaede's kind, outgoing, honest, and beautiful, but...

Do I feel that way towards her?

...

I think Maki might be right.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kaede's P.O.V 

I was preparing to head to bed when I heard a faint knock on my door.

"Huh? Uhhh, coming!"

I rushed to open the door to not keep them waiting. It was Maki!

"Hello Harukawa! Did you need something?"

"Would you like to train with me and Momota? ...Saihara will be there too."

I blushed a little bit at the mention of Shuichi. I don't think it was noticeable, though.

"Uh, sure! Just give me a few moments."

I closed the door and looked for a hair tie...found one! I went outside my dorm and found Maki waiting.

"Well, let's go," Maki muttered.

Once we arrived at the courtyard, we chatted for a bit until they arrived.

"Hey Akamatsu? ...Have you ever been in a relationship before?" Maki wondered.

Huh!? Well, that's one way to start a conversation.

"N-No, why?"

"Nevermind..."

I hate it when people ask a question or say something and then just brush it off like that. I was not about to just let her ask such a personal question and get away with it!

"Do you have a crush on someone?" I asked with a smirk.

Maki quickly became flustered. "D-Do you want to die?" 

I grew silent after that question, and so did she.

"I'm sorry about that. It's a phrase I say often, so it slips out sometimes. Don't take it literally if I say it again, I usually don't mean it. Also, sorry for asking such a personal question," Maki apologized.

"You're fine Harukawa! But you never told me who you are crushing on..." Maki lightly punched me in response, and I giggled.

Shuichi and Kaito finally came and I greeted them. Shuichi was wearing a white button-up shirt, and he wasn't wearing his hat. He looked... handsome. I felt my face heat up. We did training and had conversations. It felt nice to just have fun and talk, especially in the situation we were in.

Shuichi and Kaito were deep in conversation when Maki pulled me aside once again.

"Akamatsu, do you have feelings for anyone?"

Shuichi instantly came to mind.

Do I like him like that? I mean, I like him as a friend, but more than that? No, he's just a friend. Then why do I feel weird and light-headed when I'm around him? Why do I always want to be by his side? Why do I feel... like that?

...

Maybe I want to be more than   
a friend to him.


	13. A Dream

Shuichi Saihara's P.O.V

"This day was fun Saihara! I hope we all can do this more often," Kaede gushed.

"Yeah, I had fun as well, Akamatsu." I gave her a small smile.

We had finished training, so we all gave our goodbyes. Kaede and I were the only ones left. We were sitting outside and looking at the stars. We're alone. Together. I think my face is flushing.

aaahhh-

"Hey Saihara?"

"H-Huh?"

"Do you remember when I said if we could talk about something?"

I nodded in response. I did remember.

"Well, um, what exactly caused your panic attack to happen? I think I already know, but I wanted to make sure with you." Kaede looked genuinely concerned about it.

Come to think of it, I never said what caused it to happen.

"Well, as you know, Kokichi was angry with me. He thought I was really suspicious, and claimed me to be the mastermind. He made direct eye contact with me, and it triggered...those memories. His eyes looked just as hateful as the one's from the murderer of that case. I-I felt terrible. E-Everything was blurring, and it was getting harder to breath. It felt like I was being watched in every direction. I-It was terrifying, Akamatsu-" My voice was starting to break when she interrupted me by pulling me into a hug.

I felt tears run down my cheeks. Was I tearing up? I didn't realize...

"Saihara, you're okay now. You aren't in that situation anymore. No one's going to hurt you or anyone else. I'm here for you, I promise."

I wrapped my arms around her and buried my head into her shoulder. I felt relieved in a way. I didn't realize how much stress was built up in me until that moment. We stayed like that for a bit before letting go. I didn't want to let go, but I still did.

"Akamatsu, thank you. I know I say it a lot, but I mean it everytime."

I thought I saw a hint of blush on her face, but it was dark so I couldn't really tell. "It's not a problem at all Saihara."

We then sat once again in silence, but we were slightly closer this time.

"You know Saihara, I'm really glad you trust me. I hope we can continue to have this friendship when we get out of here!" Kaede exclaimed with a bright smile.

Friendship? She only sees me like that? I mean, I should be happy that she considers me a friend, but I can't help but feel slightly disappointed. What am I doing?! I shouldn't be thinking about this right now. Kaede probably thinks I'm ignoring her. She probably thinks I'm-

"Saihara? Um, do you have *******?"

Do I have what? I gave her a confused look.

"Oh, uhh, nevermind..."

A little bit after that response, she opened her mouth as if to say something else, but quickly closed it after. I wanted to ask what she wanted to say, but I didn't want to seem pushy.

"It's getting late Akamatsu. We should start heading back," I reminded.

"Mhm."

I took Kaede to her dorm and we told each other goodnight. I went to my dorm and briefly went over what we will do tommorow.

First, I'll meet up with Kaede and Rantaro.

Second, we'll finish setting up the cameras as we were interrupted by Rantaro.

Third, we'll continue to talk about the Survivor perk as it is very important information.

As I finished planning it out in my head, I went to sleep.

.

.

.

I wake up in a dark void. It was the same one that I was in before. I then started to fall. Deeper, deeper, deeper...   
I couldn't grasp anything. I then hit something. It was a floor stained with blood. That blood trailed to Rantaro's corpse. The blood was still fresh, and it flowed out of Rantaro's head. I stood there, paralyzed in fear.

No, NO! Stop it! Please stop! I clutched my head, trying to shake off what I had seen.

Suddenly, out of my own will, I started to walk forward, past Rantaro's corpse.

One by one, I saw everyone's corpse.

Ryoma's blood stained skeleton.

Kirumi's beaten up body.

Angie and Tenko bleeding to death from their wounds.

Korekiyo's red, blistered, corpse.

Miu's suffocated body and terrified eyes.

Gonta's swelled up, burnt remains.

Kokichi's crushed, disfigured, disformed remains of a body.

Kaito surrounded by a pool of his own blood, trickling from his mouth.

Keebo's remains of a human-like body.

Tsumugi's blood spreading from underneath a rock.

Each and every one of their last moments filled with sadness, regret, and despair.

There was one corpse I didn't see, and one I don't want to see.

Sadly, we can't all get what we want.

I turned around and saw her. Her suffocated and hanged body. It turned into a bloody mess soon after I saw it.

I didn't know how to feel.

I felt...  
Alone.  
Damaged.  
Anger.  
Sadness.  
Hopeless.

We're all going to die. No matter what. No one cares in the end. It's only our survival that matters.

.

.

.

My eyes open up to the sound of the morning announcement. It was all a dream. Thank goodness.

I got ready and headed outside. Kaede was there waiting.

"Good morning Saihara!"

"...Good morning Akamatsu."

I wanted to tell her about the dream, but I decided not to in the end. She's already done so much for me, I don't want to become any more of a burden to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: I had to research "what do boiled alive bodies look like" for an hour and I'm now tramatized. 10/10 do not do. Ever.


	14. Special Chapter : Dancing in the Rain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote 500 extra words for this, so you all better be thankful! (Jk)

Shuichi Saihara's P.O.V

I woke up and got ready like any other day. I went to Kaede's dorm and greeted her there.

"Good morning Saihara!"

"Good morning Akamatsu."

She seemed a bit more excited than usual. I wonder why...

We got breakfast and meet everyone. Surprisingly, everyone seemed to be in a good mood. Miu nor Kokichi threw insults at each other and there were a lot of laughs. Kaede and I finished up our breakfast and went out of the dining hall.

We went outside to see the sky cloudy. Huh? That's odd. Why would it be raining in here? I thought it couldn't rain in this 'cage'.

"Saihara, do you like rainy days?" Kaede looked at me, waiting for an answer.

"...hmm, I do like them. It can be peaceful to listen to the rain while drinking tea and reading a book-, Ah sorry! I'm talking too much aren't I..."

"No, you aren't! I would argue that you barely ever talk about what you like! I want to know more about you Shu-Saihara!" Kaede argued.

Did she almost call me by my first name? Ah, it's probably nothing and I'm just overthinking it as always.

"You know what, today's going to be all about us getting to know each other better!" she exclaimed with excitement. I smiled at her and nodded.

We walked around the school talking about things that came to mind. We talked about our favorite composers to favorite novels. It was really easy to talk to Kaede about almost anything.

"...and that's why Your Lie in April is great!" Kaede clasped her hands together soon after finishing the statement.

I felt a drop of water hit my head. Several more drops followed.

"I think it's starting to rain. Let's go back inside," I suggested.

Kaede nodded and we rushed to the school's doors. Kaede tried turning the doorknobs, but it didn't budge.

"Did they lock us out?! ...Well, let's go to the dorms instead!"

We ran to the dorms only to see that they were locked as well.

"What!? Why are the dorms locked at a time like this!?" Kaede crossed her arms.

"I don't know, but for now let's just stay under here since we at least have a roof over our heads."

We were both basically soaking wet at this point, but my jacket was drying quickly. Then I noticed that she was shivering.

"Akamatsu, are you cold?"

"Well, a little..."

I took off my jacket and handed it to her.

"S-Saihara, Aren't you cold as well?"

I shook my head. "I'm never really bothered by the cold. Besides, you need it more." I lightly blushed after saying that.

Gosh, I really can say embarrassing things sometimes.

Kaede's face flushed as she reluctantly agreed to put it on. "T-Thank you," Kaede murmured. She fumbled around with the jacket, tugging the ends.

We stood in silence looking at the scenery around us.

"The rain is really peaceful, isn't Saihara?"

"Yeah, it is..." I trailed off.

I looked at her. Her hair was soaked, and it was shinier because of that. She also had a small yet satisfied smile on as she looked at the scenery in front.

She's so cute...

I felt a small smile form on my face. She turned her gaze to me, and I quickly looked away. Did she see me staring? I hope not.

"I like the rain as well. As you said, it's really peaceful to listen to and look at. In fact, I absolutely love to play the piano when it's raining. *Sigh* If only the school's doors weren't locked..." She looked back in front of her with a saddened look on her face.

"Yeah, but on the bright side, you could play after this rain clears."

Her look of sadness quickly goes away as she asks me a question. "Saihara, do you know how to dance?"

My eyes widened with that question. It was really embarrassing for me to admit, but I never danced before.

"Uh, not really. I'm usually too busy with cases that I never really find the time to learn how."

She had that same look of satisfaction before, but I don't understand as to why she did.

"How about I teach you? It's something we can do while we wait for the rain to die down."

"Are you sure..?"

She nodded and gave me a reassuring smile.

"Okay, so I'll just teach you a simple dance. It's called the waltz if I remember correctly."

Kaede put her right hand on my left shoulder. She then used her free hand to hold onto my own right hand.

"Okay, so the way I am now would be the position for the one being lead in the dance. It's usually a female who is in this position, so I'll stay like this. In your case, you would use your current free hand to hold onto my upper back," Kaede instructed.

I did as I was told, but I was slightly worried about making Kaede uncomfortable.

"Okay, now that we have the position, it's time to learn the actual dancing part! First, you would step forward with your left foot. Then, step to the side with your right foot-, well, it would be better if I just showed you." She tilted her head in embarrassment for a moment before going on to show me the dance.

I copied her movements, and soon we were dancing the waltz. Kaede kept her gaze on me, while occasionally looking down in embarrassment. In the background, I heard the rain patter down onto the pathway. I felt my face heat up from how close we are. Why would Kaede want to teach me how to dance at this time? Does Kaede...like me more than a friend?

...

I can't get my hopes up.

I'll just enjoy the time we're spending together, and not worry too much about it.

"Well, I think you know how to dance now! You really are a fast learner," Kaede gushed.

I think I also saw a light blush spread across her face.

"T-Thank you."

The rain started to die down, turning into small droplets that fell down from time to time. Kaede and I were still somewhat close to one another, and I was still facing her.

Should I tell her how I feel now?  
.  
.  
.

This is the only time I can, so I might as well try.

"Kaede I-"

I was interrupted by the sound of the door unlocking and opening up. Kirumi walked out with a very guilty expression on her face.

"My deepest apologies Saihara and Akamatsu. I thought everyone was already inside until I realized you two were missing. I hope you can forgive me..." Kirumi bowed her head as she apologized.

Kaede and I forgive her, of course. If I'm to be honest, I'm slightly happy with what happened as a result of being locked out.

Kirumi handed us towels to dry off and checked to make sure we didn't develop any illnesses. After all of that, I took Kaede to her dorm. Before she went to her room, she turned around to face me and gave me a small peck on the cheek.

"Today was fun, Saihara! I'm really glad we got to know more about each other. Well, goodnight."

She then entered her dorm while I stood there dumbfounded about what just happened. Did she just kiss me!? I regained some of my composure, but I was still a blushing mess as I entered my dorm.

Kaede Akamatsu's P.O.V

As I closed my door, I felt my face heat up immediately. Did I just kiss him!? I put my hands on my face to try to stop the blushing. I walked over to my bed and fell on top of it exasperated. *Sigh* I could have told him how I felt right there and then! That would have been the perfect time! Well, I'll still tell him eventually. I'm content with what happened today, so I think it'll be alright. I headed to sleep as I wore a small smile on my face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way, this isn't really connected with the story currently, but you could say it did happen later on or something. Honestly, It's just something cute I wanted to write for you all.


	15. What Is Rantaro Hiding?

Shuichi Saihara's P.O.V

Kaede didn't notice my change in attitude as she just suggested to go get Rantaro. I agreed and we went to Rantaro's dorm.

Kaede knocked on his door, but there wasn't any response.

"Maybe Rantaro's already in the dining hall?" she inquired.

"Most likely. It seems like he goes to the dining hall earlier than most people, so that's probably the case."

We both agreed on my theory and left to the dining hall, making small conversations on the way there.

We arrived at the dining hall, and as I suspected, Rantaro was there. He heard us walk in and greeted us.

"Good morning Akamatsu and Saihara! Did you both sleep well?"

"I slept fine," I fibbed.

I didn't feel like bringing that nightmare up, especially right now. Kaede responded as well, also saying that nothing notable happened while sleeping.

We ate our breakfast while making small talk here and there.

"So, did you guys need something from me?" Rantaro questioned.

Kaede and I nodded in unison, but I was the one that answered. "We want to know a bit more about the Survivor Perk. I feel like you're still hiding something about it from us."

I just had a feeling he was, since he was being very dodgy about the subject. I'm guessing that the perk messed up Rantaro's remaining trust for all of us, and he's just trying to repair that trust, starting with me and Kaede.

"...Okay then. I do have one last thing to show you, but I can't show you two it right now. Or, at least, not here," Rantaro stated.

I understood why he said that. The dining hall definitely wouldn't be the best place to give out information like this, since many people come into the dining hall often.

"Okay, then after we finish breakfast we can go to one of our dorms to talk there." Kaede placed a piece of egg in her mouth after she commented that.

"Akamatsu, we didn't finish setting up the cameras, so I was wondering if it was okay if we did that first, then meet up with Amami?" I asked hesitantly.

I hope I didn't sound forceful.

"I completely forgot about that! We definitely need to complete setting up those cameras first. Thank you for reminding me, Saihara."

Rantaro was somewhat confused since we haven't told him about the cameras yet. We briefly explained the cameras and what we were trying to accomplish with them. Rantaro was completely understanding and agreed with our plan.

"So, we will meet up in my dorm as soon as you two finish setting up the cameras?" Rantaro asked, making sure of the plan.

Kaede nodded.

We finished eating at this point, so we went our separate ways.

I quickly went to my room to retrieve the cameras while Kaede waited for me at the library. I entered my dorm and headed to my drawers. I opened and shuffled through a few before finding the cameras. I then ran out of my dorm and went straight to the library.

I walked in to see Kaede using a ladder to look through a few books on the highest shelf.

Weird.

Kaede most likely heard me enter as she jumped, and she started to lose her balance. I rushed to help her in case she fell, but luckily she regained her balance before that can occur.

"H-Hello Saihara! I was just looking through some books to see if there could be anything that could give us any clues. I didn't notice you entering." She gave me an embarrassed smile.

I helped Kaede down the ladder, and we placed the cameras. I was in charge of the cameras in front of both library entrances while Kaede was in charge of the cameras near the hidden door. I kept an eye on Kaede, making sure she wouldn't turn on the flash like she did last time. From what I saw, I didn't see her turn it on.

"Okay, I think I finished setting up my cameras, Akamatsu. Are you almost done?"

"I think so," Kaede replied.

I got down from the position I'm in to check the placement of her cameras. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary to me.

I then remembered that I didn't tell her about the sensors yet. I told her about them and how there is a remote connected to the sensors. The remote would buzz when a sensor is activated, and the remote can also turn off the sensors if necessary.

"I think we should go ahead and meet up with Amami now, Saihara," Kaede suggested.

I agreed, and we headed to Rantaro's dorm.

We arrived at Rantaro's dorm, and luckily he was already there. Rantaro seemed...very nervous about showing us this thing he was hiding. I mean, I can understand why. We stood in silence for a few moments before Rantaro broke the tension.

"Glad you two made it. So, what I'm about to show it's, well, interesting to say the least. Also, in case if I didn't already say this, Please don't mention this to anyone else. I'm deciding to trust you two, so I'm hoping you won't let me down."

Kaede and I nodded. "We promise to not say anything about this to anyone else. We already figured that it would get... chaotic if we talked about this to everyone, especially when someone in our group is the mastermind," Kaede reassuringly mentioned.

"Thank you. Well, here it is..."

Rantaro took out the monopad from one of his lower drawers and then handed it to me. I sat down on Rantaro's bed while Kaede and Rantaro sat beside me. I then saw this in front of me.


	16. An Idea

Shuichi Saihara's P.O.V

Wait, what!? I don't remember this video being in the pad? How is this in here, and how did I miss something as important as this?

It should be in the-

My train of thought was interrupted when I saw a small USB drive with a monokuma head on the side of it. That answers half of my question, but how he got the drive is my remaining concern.

"W-What..? There was another killing game before this one?" Kaede stuttered. She had wide eyes, and she was becoming pale.

"I don't know either. I think I might have gotten this too early on since I found this USB drive that contained this video dropped in the library. I found it earlier before you two came by," Rantaro explained.

As if on cue, Monokuma showed up out of nowhere.

"Puhuhu...what are you three up to?"

"ACK!" Kaede jumped, bumping into me causing us to both fall back onto the bed.

Rantaro quickly hid the pad from Monokuma so he would see it.

"Nothing that concerns you." Rantaro coolly responded.

I still don't understand how he can be so level headed, especially at a time like this.

"ExCuSe me, Mr. Steal ur girl, everything is my concern, especially if it is on campus. I asked once, I will not repeat myself again. What. Are. You. Three. Up. To?" Monokuma was getting more and more irritated with each and every word.

"Before Amami answers that, are there cameras in our dorm rooms?" Kaede questioned.

I was slightly confused as to why she asked that out of the blue, but it shortly hit me afterward as to why she did. Monokuma stayed silent before responding with a quick and faint "no."

Rantaro had a thoughtful expression on his face before answering Monokuma's previous question.

"We were just talking about things that came to mind. I mean, we need to entertain ourselves in here somehow," Rantaro fibbed.

"Borringg. I was looking forward to hearing about something actually worth my time. This class is my biggest disappointment yet!" Monokuma stormed off after that, causing us to sigh in relief.

"That was close. Well, now we know something else that's pretty important. Our dorms aren't being monitored." Rantaro took out the pad from its hiding spot as he spoke.

Kaede was the next one to speak.

"We're getting sidetracked! We need to build on the information the video gave us! First off, it says our memories were erased. Then it says that you, Amami, participated in another killing game apparently. Not to mention that you wanted this and you have to win this twisted game, and I quote 'no matter what'. Also, there's the fact that before your past self could tell us something important about one of the rules, he got interrupted. And last but not least, you're the Ultimate Survivor. That's a lot we have to discuss if I say so myself."

I agreed with Kaede on that aspect. That is a lot to take in and learn at once.

"Let's start with Amami being the Ultimate Survivor. If you are the Ultimate Survivor, you must have participated in many killing games, right? Do you remember any of them?" Kaede interrogated.

"Of course I don't, our memories got wiped. If I did know, I highly doubt I would want to share any of this information, let alone end this killing game. I want all of us to make it out of here alive, so that's why I'm even trying to help you guys," Rantaro explained.

"Wait, could I look at the perk one more time?" I asked.

He nodded and handed me the pad. It basically showed the map of the entire campus, including the current undiscovered floors. It also gave a hint as to how to stop the killing game. It said something along the lines of if you want to end the killing game, the best chance to expose the mastermind to end it is when Monokuma needs a spare. The mastermind will head to the hidden room. It also confirmed that the mastermind is in the school.

There was something else bothering me, but I couldn't quite figure out what it was.

Wait, that's what's bothering me.

"Why didn't Monokuma shoo us away from you? Wouldn't he be suspicious of you telling us this?" I ask.

"Hm, I never thought of that. I'm not too sure actually," Rantaro pondered.

"What if he wants this to happen? He can't be that oblivious, so that's the only explanation I can think of." I was just making an assumption at that point, but I think I'm correct.

Since people are watching this, he needs to make it entertaining. Well, she needs to make it entertaining. I'm not going to let it happen just like last time though, I can say that.

"Well anyway, we need to expose the mastermind, and as soon as possible. Since we have the cameras set up, we just need to make the mastermind enter the hidden room. How we do that is the question. Do you have any ideas Saihara?" Kaede wondered.

I thought about it, and I came up with an idea. Since Monokuma is a robot, maybe leading him into water or something to destroy him could cause Tsumugi to get a spare, and then we can expose her. I told Rantaro and Kaede about this, and we thought about it until we heard a knock on the door.


	17. The Second Motive

Shuichi Saihara's P.O.V

"I'll go get it. Just to not cause suspicion, I recommend staying out of view."

Kaede and I did as we were told and got out of the door's view way. Rantaro got up from his spot and walked towards the door. He opened it slightly to see Kirumi waiting patiently.

"Please excuse me Amami, but I am alerting everyone that supper is ready. Please come to the dining hall when you are ready. Also, have you seen Akamatsu or Saihara? I wasn't able to find them in their dorms." Kirumi stood there with poise as she asked.

"Oh, I'll alert them when I see them! Thank you for letting me know Tojo," Rantaro smiled.

Kirumi bowed slightly and started to walk away.

"...Ok, well I think you two heard all that." Kaede and I nodded, and we went to the dining hall as told.

On the way to the dining hall, I saw Tsumugi chatting with Monokuma. Kaede and Rantaro were in conversation when I noticed this. I decided to mention it later since I didn't want to interrupt them. As I kept that in mind, I also thought about how and when I would tell them about this time travel nonsense. I know it wouldn't be the best idea to tell them now, but, when would I tell them? Well, after catching Tsumugi I guess.

Once we arrived, we saw everyone staring at Monokuma, who was just standing there.

"Took you three long enough! Now that everyone is here, I can announce the additional motive!" Monokuma exclaimed. "If a murder does not happen at nighttime, two days from now, then everyone forcefully participating in this game will be executed! You will be ripped apart limb to limb by countless Monokumas. So, I recommend taking this game seriously if you don't want to end up becoming a decaying corpse!"

Everyone had a look of shock and terror, aside from Kokichi and a few others.

"But, if you wanted entertainment, why would you kill us all off just like that?" Kokichi remarked.

I knew the answer to that question, but I obviously didn't say it.

"It would still be hilarious to watch you all flee for your lives, so that's why! Now stop asking me pointless questions and enjoy your last days here." Monokuma then went back to wherever he came from.

Surprisingly, no one really added anything other than Kaito saying "I'll make sure that doesn't happen."

Everyone ate dinner in silence, with that same gloomy and dark atmosphere in the air.

Well, I guess that makes the plan slightly easier. Now that Tsumugi has to automatically create spares, we don't have to worry about causing a situation to make her get one. I'm still slightly worried about this plan not working, but at the same time, I have gotten all the information I needed and did the things I didn't do and regret. I hope I also did enough to stop Kaede from doing the same mistake that cost her and Rantaro's life.

Once everyone finished up, they started to leave in small groups. Kirumi stayed behind to wash dishes, but I told her that I would do them. She reluctantly agreed to let me do them and she left.

I was now just washing everyone's dishes plus my own when I heard a few people step in the kitchen. I turned my head slightly to see who they were, and I saw Maki, Kaito, Himiko, Rantaro, and Kaede.

"Hey Saihara! We just wanted to see what you were doing," Kaito said with an unconvincing grin.

I understood why everyone else was there, as they were probably there to ask about the plan, but Kaito wasn't one of the people I talked to about this.

"Momota knew something was going on so he just wanted to spy on us to see what is going on," Maki explained with a blank stare.

Kaito sighed in defeat, slowly nodding.

I guess Maki spent some time getting closer to Kaito as I knew he wouldn't give up just like that to a normal stranger.

"Geez, Makiroll when you put it like that I sound really noisy."

"Because you are."

That started a bickering session between those two, which Himiko and Kaede tried to break up.

Rantaro then walked next to me to help with the dishes.

"Amami, you don't have to-"

"It's fine Saihara. I don't mind helping you at all. Plus, it gives me a chance to talk to you," Rantaro spoke with a light smile on his face.

I tilted my hat down in embarrassment, which I forgot I still wore on my head.

"Anyway, how are you holding up after... that situation?"

"My panic attack?"

Rantaro nodded his head as a response to my question.

"I'm doing fine, but that happened a while ago. Why are you still worried about that?"

"Am I not allowed to be?"

"Ah well, I didn't mean it like that!"

Rantaro chuckled at my flustered response.

"Well, now that the new motive has been presented, what will we do about that?"

I thought about it for a moment. We only have two days, and I need to make sure they're put to good use. We already have the cameras set since I didn't want to worry about having a time limit like we do now. I know I still want to keep a close track on Kaede and Rantaro, but having three people in a classroom at once could cause suspicion for some, and potentially risk us all getting found out.

"Well, I need some time to think about it, but I'll let you all know when I can come up with an idea," I said.

Rantaro nodded and we finished up the dishes just in time to find that the bickering ended.

We headed to our dorms, with the exception of Kaito, Maki, Kaede, and I since we planned to train. Nothing really notable happened, and we all headed back to our dorms. I said good night to Kaede as usual, and I headed to bed, thinking about how I would plan Tsumugi's demise.


	18. Shuichi's Plan

Shuichi Saihara's P.O.V

Two days left. Two days until we all die, or two days until we save everyone. It was nerve-racking. I didn't know if this would work, but I had to give it my best shot. I woke up earlier than the announcement since I couldn't sleep. I had managed to come up with a plan, but I didn't think it was a stable one. The plan went something along the lines of this:

There are five people I want to include in the plan.

Himiko and Maki- They have the same knowledge about who the mastermind is and similar things like me, so it's obvious that I would include them.

Rantaro and Kaede- They want to find out who the mastermind is, plus, I need to keep a close eye on them, and this is the best way to do so.

Kaito- He is a close friend of mine and he has a good amount of strength and charisma. Well, more charisma than strength. He could help with convincing people and whatnot, and he would be helpful with the plan I have in mind.

Given the two-day time limit, I already accomplished most things ahead of time.

\- Setting up the cameras.  
\- Getting information from Rantaro about the perk.  
\- Discovering the hidden door and passageway.

This would be the outline of the plan:

Maki and Himiko will be watching the girl's restroom to see if Tsumugi will come by. If they do come across her, Himiko will try and run to alert me as soon as possible while Maki stalls.

Rantaro will be watching the basement floor along with Kaito. I will do this so Rantaro won't be alone and Kaito could watch him. This could be risky, but I doubt Kaito would leave Rantaro by himself.

Lastly, Kaede and I will be waiting in the classroom next to the stairs to the basement like last time. I want to make sure she doesn't try doing that again. Also, since Himiko and Maki will be watching the girl's restroom, Tsumugi might notice that and go through the hidden door instead. We could stop Tsumugi in her tracks and question her, making her seem very suspicious to Kaede.

Something that is bothering me about this plan is that there isn't anyone who could distract everyone else not associated with the plan to not intervene. I'll figure this out later.

As I finished up writing all this down, the morning announcement played once again. I folded the piece of paper and carefully placed it in my pocket as I headed out of my dorm room. I would use the piece of paper as a reference for the plan in case if I forgot.

As expected, I met up with Kaede and went to the dining hall. It was a bit more quiet than usual, but I could understand why. You, along with many others, potentially dying in two days is not something to be taken lightly after all.

"So, Saihara...do you have any ideas on how to expose the mastermind yet? Er well, a plan?" Kaede whispered to me softly as we took a seat.

"I do, but it will involve a few people. I was thinking that maybe we should just group everyone that I want to be involved in this plan. I want to tell you all at once so that we don't waste too much time." I continued. "After breakfast, I want to gather everyone up at the library. If it's fine with you, could you help me?"

Kaede nodded and I told her the list of people included. She softly repeated the names to memorize them as she got up to clean her plate.

Once she came back, we headed out of the dining hall to gather everyone. I managed to find Kaito and Maki while Kaede found Himiko and Rantaro. We all headed to the library, and from there I explained the plan to everyone.

Rantaro then decided that it would help with the plan if everyone knew about the survivor perk, so he briefly told Himiko, Maki, and Kaito about it. Everyone was caught up with the information, and we were prepared for tomorrow. As people went out of the library, Maki and Himiko stayed behind.

"This is a bit different from what happened last time," Maki commented.

I nodded. "I just hope I can get this to work. No one deserved to die, and I need to make sure history doesn't repeat itself."

Himiko was the next one to say something. "When are we going to tell the others? It's a pain to hide this from everyone, and I'm getting tired of it." On cue, Himiko yawned shortly after.

"I think that it would be better to wait until we caught and executed Tsumugi before telling everyone else about it. I don't want to freak everyone out as it could cause chaos otherwise." I expressed my thoughts to the girls and they agreed with my way of thinking. We left the library shortly afterward.

As I walked out, I noticed Kaede walking out of the game room. I didn't pay much attention since she was probably just entertaining herself. I headed upstairs without looking back.

I arrived at my room and kept to myself for most of the day. Occasionally, Kaede would stop by and we would chat for a bit, which was nice. Otherwise, nothing notable happened.

The nighttime announcement came on once again, and I started to get ready for bed. Tomorrow is the day where we would be shown if our efforts on changing the future were enough. With that thought drifting in my mind, I fell asleep.


	19. The Final Day

Shuichi Saihara's P.O.V

I opened my eyes to the sound of the morning announcement. It took me a few moments to realize that today is the final day. I would either fail, or I would manage to save everyone. I felt my heart beating faster than usual. I got ready for the day and was about to head out until I came across a certain item. It was the cap I wore every day up to this point. I thought about it for a few moments, but in the end, I decided to not wear it. In case if the worst happened, at least Kaede would see me without my hat like she had wanted last time.

As I was heading to the door, the doorbell rang. I opened it, expecting Kaede to be on the other side. Instead, it was Kokichi.

"Hey. So, if you don't mind, I need to talk to you about something. I prefer if you came along with me right now, but if you have something else you need to take care of then that's fine." He had a blank expression on his face as he requested that.

At this point, I figured that if he doesn't have any facial expressions he's being genuinely serious about the topic in question. It still catches me off guard, but I'm glad that I'll at least be able to tell if he's being genuine.

"Sure."

I followed Kokichi into a secluded area near the dorms. Once we arrived, he turned to face me.

"Okay, since you being from the future is still a secret, I decided that we would talk about it in an area where I don't think anyone would pass by. Anyway, I'll get straight to the point. Who is the mastermind?"

I was slightly surprised by his forwardness, but I still answered his question.

"It's Tsumugi Shirogane. She orchestrated this killing game and she was also the one that started it. As you know, today's the final day. Either someone else kills or we all die. I-."

I stopped mid-sentence.

Should I tell him about this? Well, why not? He already knows, and I'm guessing he does want to end the killing game. His angry reaction about me supposedly not doing anything to stop it is evidence of that along with Kaito saying Kokichi did, in fact, want to end the twisted game. Also, there is something that he would be able to cover in the plan.

"I don't have all day. What were you going to say?" Kokichi had his hands behind his head, which were paired with an unamused expression.

I decided to tell him the outline of the plan.

"...and we will be executing this plan today. In fact, there is something that I would need someone to do in the plan. I need that person to prevent everyone else from going down into the basement floor. I was wondering if you could do it?" I asked the checker scarfed boy.

He took a moment to think about it, then simply nodded as a response.

"Sure. Anyway, Shuimai, pretend I never acted serious or something like that. I don't need them to start thinking I can actually care about stuff. Lastly, I'm sorry about that incident. Toodles."

Kokichi walked off abruptly with his usual demeanor showing once again.

*Sigh* Well, at least he agreed.

.  
.  
.

I slowly opened the door to the dining hall to see multiple pairs of eyes staring at me. I quickly scanned the room and saw that everyone was there.

"What happened to your hat, sidekick?" Kaito asked, breaking the silence.

"U-Um well, I just forgot to wear it today..," I muttered.

I was getting a bit anxious with everyone staring at me. I tried to avoid contact by looking down. I didn't want ...that to happen again, especially in front of everyone.

I think Kaede noticed this as she proceeded to change the topic about something else. Luckily, everyone turned their heads and from there it was peaceful once again.

.  
.  
.

Everyone except for Maki, Kaito, and Kaede left the dining hall as soon as they finished eating. I was sitting next to Kaede while in front of me sat Kaito and Maki.

"So Saihara, why did you take off your hat?" Kaede questioned.

"Well, I guess I didn't really feel like wearing it today."

"Or maybe you just wanted to impress a certain someone," Maki added.

I felt my face starting to heat up and shook my head immediately.

"N-No of course not!"

Kaede and Kaito giggled at my flustered actions.

"Well, in any case, I think you look really handsome without it on."

Kaede turned to me with a genuine smile on her face. If I didn't have a flushed face before, I definitely would have had one now after that compliment.

"Thank you, Akamatsu."

It stayed silent for a few moments before I decided to speak again.

"Well, since the time limit will be up by nighttime, we only have around 13 hours until then. I would also like to mention that Oma is now involved in the plan as well. He'll be distrac- er well monitoring everyone else not involved in the plan."

Kaito and Maki had a face of concern about why I would choose him out of everyone else, but I quickly explained why.

"I chose him because he found out about the plan, and he wanted to help," I fibbed.

I obviously couldn't tell them the real reason, not yet anyway.

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.

.

A few more hours had passed, and it was time to put the plan into action. We had four hours left. We had already informed Rantaro and Himiko about Kokichi by then, so we got into our positions. Maki and Himiko were guarding the girls' restroom, Rantaro and Kaito were watching the library, Kokichi monitoring the hallway that leads to the basement, and finally, Kaede and I were in the classroom.

Now we wait, for better or for worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I wanted to make this chapter have a lot more action, but I feel like I would need another chapter for that since this chapter focuses on how Kokichi is included. The action will be in the next chapter instead.


	20. Is It Too Late?

Maki Harukawa's P.O.V

Some time had passed, and we had two hours until the time limit would be up. Himiko and I were getting really nervous about this idea even working. I hope this amateur of a detective knows what he's doing.

Himiko and I weren't exactly in front of the girls' restroom as it would be very suspicious otherwise. We were making small conversation when I noticed Tsumugi walking towards the restroom. I silently alerted Himiko of this, and she nodded.

She quickly walked away to not drive suspicion as I followed her into the restroom myself. I had a feeling that if I entered the restroom as well, Tsumugi wouldn't be able to go through the hidden door without getting caught. As I entered the bathroom, I noticed Tsumugi enter a normal stall. I went into another stall and waited. I needed to keep a close eye on her.

Eventually, I heard Tsumugi exit the restroom. I quickly ran out of the stall and into the hallway to catch Tsumugi, but she was nowhere to be seen.

FUCK.

Where did she go?! I can't allow this to happen again. I can't let Kaito or anyone else die like this all over again. I-I'll just try looking for her.

Himiko, please tell them in time...

.

.

.

Himiko Yumeno's P.O.V

As soon as Maki alerted me about Tsumugi, I went to tell Shuichi as quickly as I could. It was draining a lot of my mana, but I had to keep going. As I ran, my breathing became faster. I was getting really tired of all this, but I had to hurry. I needed to keep going!

I was getting closer to the classroom when I suddenly fell downwards. Once I hit the ground, I felt pain in my left ankle. Did I sprain it?

Shoot!

What do I do!? I don't have enough MP to cast a healing spell, and I don't have enough time to cast a calling spell. I tried picking myself up, but it was no use. I yelped out in pain. It only hurt more, and I couldn't keep moving without the pain distracting me. As I panicked, I heard a familiar voice call out my name.

"Yumeno? Are you okay?!" Tenko Chabashira, my friend, called out.

She carefully stood me up and let me lean into her.

"What happened?"

"I think I sprained my ankle...and I can't fix it up with my magic," I explained.

After that, I tuned the world out. What was I going to do!? I need to go to Shuichi, but I can't tell Tenko about it. I don't hate her, but she might cause problems if I say anything about the plan in question. I want to be able to help save Angie, Tenko, and everyone else, but I can't with this sprained ankle.

When I came back to reality, I was in the dining hall with Kirumi, Tenko, and Gonta, who was checking to see if I was okay.

I spaced out once again.

Wait, if I can remember correctly, Kokichi was in sight. He must have seen or at least heard me! Since he knows about the whole situation and stuff, he could have thought that Maki and I saw Tsumugi. He could go inform Shuichi!

I just pray to Atua that he will do it.

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.

.

Kokichi Oma's P.O.V

I hadn't seen anyone come up to the basement stairs yet, so I didn't have any issues. At least, not until I heard Himiko's yelp. I wanted to check it out, but someone had beaten me to it.

Himiko was being dragged away by Tenko when I realized something. If Himiko was coming this way, she had seen Tsumugi! Since she sprained her ankle (from what I saw), she couldn't do her role. I think it would be kind of me to complete her task for her, right?

As I was about to enter the classroom, I felt a breeze brush behind me.

Huh?

I turned around to see nothing, or so I thought until I looked down. I saw a strand of long, blue hair at my feet.

Well shit.

I let Tsumugi Shirogane past me without even noticing it. What the hell do I do now!? Wait, she must have gone through a door somewhere! I need to search for that door.

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.

.

Shuichi Saihara's P.O.V

Kaede and I sat in desks near to one another as we waited for the control I held to buzz. It was just silence for a few more moments until Kaede decided to speak.

"Hey, Saihara, you seem to have some things on your mind. Would you like to tell me about them? We do have a few hours anyway."

Kaede tilted her head to make eye contact with me.

I did have some issues bothering me, but I couldn't tell her any of them.

I shook my head. "It's fine. I'm not really thinking about anything."

In truth, I was terrified of this failing, and seeing everyone die once again. I felt my hands tremble on the desk until Kaede took hold of them.

"Y'know, it's okay to be terrified of all this. If you haven't already noticed, I'm shaking too." She put on a warm smile as she continued. "In fact, if you weren't here, I'd probably be going insane. I'm thankful that you're here with me and, well, I hope we all can manage to get out of here! So, if anything is concerning you, you can tell me about it."

I thought about the question for a little bit before I asked.

"How can you be so optimistic?"

"Huh?"

"You almost always act positive, talking about working together and never giving up... I'm just amazed every time you talk like that. Well, no. It's easy to talk like that. But, I know that you truly feel that way inside. I guess, I just wanted to know where those feelings come from."

"..."

Kaede looked...lost in thought. Did I say something wrong?

"I'm sorry, it was a weird question."

"Oh no, you're fine! I was just thinking about how I would explain it to you. I guess it would be because...Well, in my experience, music has always managed to reach other people's hearts. I play because I want to see others smile. After I finish a performance, I can smile with strangers who I just met a minute ago. Even if we don't speak the same language, we can bond through music anyway. I think it's because we can see other people's personalities through music. I guess what I'm trying to say is...I want to be transparent when it comes to how I truly feel about things."

Kaede...

"Well, anyway-" Kaede was interrupted by the sound of the control buzzing.

"H-Huh!?"

Kaede and I were shocked by the sudden noise. I immediately got up was starting to head towards the door.

Wait, I can't repeat this fatal mistake!

I quickly turned around to find Kaede facing the classroom's vent, taking out a metal shot put ball.


	21. Is It Too Late? II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't updated in a bit, so I'm so sorry for the long wait!

Kaede Akamatsu's P.O.V

I'm doing this for everyone. All I need to do is kill the mastermind. I'm doing the right thing.

.

.

.

Right?

Shuichi Saihara's P.O.V

"KAEDE!"

I ran to her and pushed her away from the vent, causing her to drop the shot put ball and lose balance. We both fell to the ground from that impact.

"S-Saihara..?" Kaede whimpered. Without a second thought, I pulled her into my arms. I started to tear up.

"A-Akamatsu...I-I almost lost you again."

I felt tears drop onto my shoulder. I heard Kaede start sobbing, and I did the same thing.

"I-I'm so sorry Saihara..."

I wanted to tell her everything right there and then, but I couldn't.

With the remote still buzzing, the moment had to be cut short.

"I...I need to see what's going on. Please...stay here and keep watch."

Kaede wiped the remaining tears on her face and nodded.

After her response, I quickly got up and headed towards the library.

Rantaro Amami's P.O.V

Kaito and I were making small talk and keeping watch of the library. As time passed, I started to become a bit more anxious. The time limit was coming up, and if we don't catch the mastermind before then, either all of us will die or one of us would have to sacrifice someone else. I didn't like the idea of either outcome.

We then heard a noise come from the library. It sounded like an item falling to the floor. Kaito and I exchanged a few looks before I decided to break the silence.

"Should we check it out?"

"I'd say one of us stays here to keep watch while the other checks it out. That way we'll be able to check it out while still keeping watch, y'know?" Kaito answered.

I volunteered to go check it out and headed inside.

Once I walked in, a shot put ball was sitting nearby the door I entered through. I found it odd, but what intrigued me even more was that the hidden door was visible. Did someone manage to get in here? I was getting closer to the hidden door when I heard the library's entrance door open.

"AMAMI! Get out of here now!"

I turned around to see Shuichi Saihara, with an alarmed expression. I was confused, but the desperate tone in his voice convinced me to get out. Looking back now, I should have stayed with him.

.

.

.

Shuichi Saihara's P.O.V

I ran to the library at a quick pace. We were so close to catching Tsumugi, and I couldn't let that opportunity slip past me. As I was approaching, I locked eyes with Kaito.

"Momota, I need you to find and gather everyone up. Akamatsu should be in the classroom, and the others should be in their assigned places." I paused for a moment to examine the area. "Where's Amami?"

"He's inside the library. We heard a weird noise in there, so he decided to investigate," Kaito answered.

Was he the one that activated the alarm!?

"I'll go get him. Please go ahead and get the others," I replied.

He nodded and sprinted away.

I went into the library and saw Rantaro heading towards the hidden door. I can't let this happen again. I can't.

"AMAMI! Get out of here now!"

Without any questions, he nodded and ran out of where I came from.

I suddenly felt a sharp pain from my head. I felt my forehead to find blood dripping down. The next thing I knew, everything went black.

.

.

.

Her P.O.V

The shot put ball in my hand was splattered with the detective's blood. I did it. It was a bit unexpected, seeing how he just came in here last minute. Luckily, I still managed to create a victim. As long as the majority of my classmates do not suspect me of murder, I think this will go smoothly.

Now, we wait.

I went through the door I set up in the library. I quickly cleaned myself up and got rid of any remaining evidence. I went through one of many secret passageways and arrived at the girls' restroom. I checked to make sure no one saw me. Once I confirmed it was safe, I headed to the dining hall. I can't wait to see the look of despair and fear in their faces.

Kaede Akamatsu's P.O.V

It was so sudden. Kaito came to get me and the others. Once we grouped up, we waited for Shuichi. After a few minutes of waiting, we were getting worried about him. I volunteered to go check it out.

Now, here I am, looking at the corpse of one of my dearest friends. I felt my legs give out under me, and I felt my eyes swelling up with tears. Who could have done such a terrible thing?!

I didn't want it to be true. I didn't want to believe it. I would never get to see him smile again. I would never be able to hear his voice again. I would never be able to tell him how I felt. I wanted to mourn, but I knew I had to get going. I had to tell the others.

Using the remaining strength I had, I ran to go find the others.

Once I had arrived, I immediately told everyone about how and where I found his body.

After all of that, we headed back to the place to find that Shuichi Saihara's corpse went missing.


	22. The Investigation

Kaede Akamatsu's P.O.V

His body was replaced with a pool of blood. How could someone manage to move his corpse with such little time?! I ran here and saw the body. I went back to get the others, which took about three minutes. Then, to run back, it took about two. So how in the world can someone move his corpse in five minutes? These questions surrounded my mind until the monitor echoed a certain nuisance's voice.

"A body has been discovered! Now then, after a certain amount of time, the class trial will begin. Please head to the library A-S-A-P."

The monitor shut off, creating a sense of dread in the air.

"What The Hell!?" Kaito exclaimed.

I turned around to look at my remaining friends. Rantaro and Kaito were in complete shock and disbelief while Maki, Kokichi, and Himiko didn't show any expressions.

After a few minutes had passed, everyone had shown up.

"What the fuck!? What kind of sick joke is this!? Where's the damn body?" Miu cursed.

Everyone else probably had a similar thought judging by the look on their faces. Soon after, the black and white bear popped in.

"Well, I decided to make an exception! Since the murder got rid of the corpse, there's no way three or more people can discover this particular body. But, I'm sure miss Kayayday can help with that issue."

Everyone instantly turned their heads to my direction, which made me increasingly uncomfortable.

"I-I discovered his body first, so I think I can help describe his corpse." I murmured.

"Wait, wait, wait! There's no need for that nonsense! We can finish this up real quick thanks to the First Blood Perk!" Monokuma interrupted. "If you are the blackened, go ahead and raise your hand!"

It stayed silent, and no one made any movement.

"Let's try this again. Who. Is. The. Blackened?"

"It had to have been a degenerate male! Crimes like these are always committed by violent, disgusting men!" Tenko commented.

"How do you even know it was a boy?" Kokichi questioned.

"I just know, okay!?"

"Tch...Who the hell did it!? I'll punch you into orbit!" Kaito threatened.

"Puhuhu... don't get so angry. You should be happy for your graduating peer."

The monokubs showed up shortly after. They also repeatedly asked the blackened to raise their hand, but nobody did.

"...I see how it is. They don't need the perk and would prefer to do a class trial instead. Very well then," Monokuma stated.

"W-Wait, what's going to happen then?" Tsumugi inquired.

"As I said, we will hold a class trial to find Shuichi Saihara's killer! If the majority of you guess wrong, you all will be punished! But, if you guess right, only the blackened in question will be punished. Exhilarating, isn't it!?"

I was sick to my stomach. How could someone be this twisted to find enjoyment in others' suffering? My mind just couldn't grasp such a thing.

"Of course, we can't just throw you all into a trial without investigating the murder first. You need some evidence and ideas, which you can only get from investigating the crime scene," Monokuma continued. "This will be very entertaining with the corpse missing. How will you all manage to get through this dilemma? Anyway, the class trial will begin soon, so let the investigation begin!"

With those parting words, he left along with the monokubs.

Everyone separated. Some went in groups while others went alone. I stayed where I was, trying to process the information. I then recalled a certain scene. It was when I was about to plant the shot put ball before Shuichi shoved me out of the way. I dropped the ball, but I didn't remember where it fell.

What if that ball was the cause of his death? What if I was the one that killed him?

From how he was positioned, it could have been possible. It's a stretch, but definitely feasible. If that was the case, the only thing I could do now is trying to expose the mastermind in this class trial. It would be the least I could do to repay my crimes. I moved from my position to participate in the investigation with these thoughts in my head.

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\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

??? P.O.V

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.

A few hours later

I woke up in a darkened room. I tried to feel my surroundings, but I couldn't move anything. After a few moments, my eyes adjusted to the darkness, and I was able to see a few things. First off, I saw my hands tied up in front of me. Then, I noticed a shot put ball in a table nearby, and next to it were bloodied glasses.

Was I in the mastermind's room?

I tried to recall the events in my mind. The last thing I remembered was feeling immense pain in my head and fainting. If I'm correct, I was struck in the head by a shot put ball. How did I not die then? If Rantaro, who was a bit stronger than me, had died from the ball, then how in hell would I be able to survive it!?

Well, let me gather up my thoughts.

She must have tried to kill me. She failed since I'm alive. I'm guessing she realized that I was alive and brought me here. She tried to clean up as much evidence as she could and try to blame it on someone else.

I wonder if an investigation, or even worse, a class trial, has started. Either way, I need to get out of here as soon as possible. Luckily, I found scissors nearby. I used my mouth to pick it up and dropped the scissors in my lap. Well, desperate times call for desperate measures. I fumbled around with the scissors for a bit before I managed to cut the rope and break free. I then cut away the rope binding my legs, and with that I was free.

After all that, I tried to gather up as much evidence as I could. I carefully grabbed the bloodied glasses and shot put ball. I also tried to find conclusive evidence that Tsumugi was the one who caused all of this. Once I did, I found the secret passageway door and left. If there's even a god out there, I pray that I'll make it in time.


	23. The Investigation II

Kaede Akamatsu's P.O.V

I left the library to find a secluded area. That area was a dark corner. Once I found it, I sat down.

I wanted to recollect my thoughts. I wanted to have some peace from all the chaos. I wanted to see him one last time.

I hugged my knees to my chest and started to tear up. I know I need to keep moving forward, but it's not always easy. It's so hard to keep up this act of confidence before you break down. You can only hold it in so long before you eventually break. I started this damn killing game, I have to trick others, and last but not least I killed one of my closest friends. It was a burden I had to carry. This was my punishment.

"You know crying isn't going to get you anywhere, right?"

I picked up my head to see Maki leaning against the wall opposite to me.

"I know that losing someone important to all of us is a big deal, but I can't stand to see you moping over it. He wouldn't have wanted to see you wasting time crying, especially about his death. He would want you to keep moving forward, to find the truth. I'm definitely not the best when it comes to advice, but I can say this. Just keep moving forward. I understand that it might be hard, but, I know you can do it. It is okay to cry sometimes, but maybe save that for after we expose the guilty party, okay?"

Maki proceeded to give me a hand, which I accepted. I pulled her into a hug soon after.

"Thank you Harukawa."

"N-No problem Akamatsu."

I let go of her to find an embarrassed mess. I giggled at her, and we walked back to the library.

When we entered, I felt a stuffy and sad atmosphere. I lost track of what I was doing before I heard a voice call my name.

"Akamatsu! Are you going to help us investigate or not?! We don't have a lot of time y'know!" Kaito shouted from across the room.

With those words, I snapped out of my daze. I walked toward the pool of blood that replaced Shuichi's corpse.

I looked around to see if I could find any clues. Something that had caught my eye immediately was the faint trail of blood that seemed to lead to the hidden door. It wasn't painfully obvious, but there was a faint marking.

Then, a certain question came to my mind.

Why in hell would someone want to move the corpse if I did it?

It didn't make any sense to me. I decided that I would later figure that out in the class trial. Nothing else stood out to me near the blood, so I decided to look near the hidden door instead.

As I suspected, there were a few blood drops near the bookshelf obscuring the hidden door. The only real conclusion that I can think of is that the mastermind moved the body. I guess it was done to cause some problems and make this investigation more challenging.

I looked around a bit more to find anything. The cameras weren't of any help since they somehow didn't capture anything. In the end, I decided that I would just gather up some alibis to know where everyone else was during the murder.

I interrogated and wrote down everyone's alibi on a note pad I found in my backpack:

Maki and Himiko were originally near the girls' restroom before they split up.

Himiko had sprained her ankle causing her to go in the dining hall for Kirumi to check.

Maki was near the bathroom, but her exact whereabouts aren't certain.

The people in the dining hall were Kirumi, Himiko, Tenko, and Gonta at first. Korekiyo and Ryoma showed up later on.

Rantaro and Kaito were both at the library's entrance, so they could've kept watch of one another.

Shuichi and I were in the classroom near the basement stairs.

Kokichi was watching the stairs at first, but we didn't find him when we got the alarm from the remote. We grouped up with him later, but his whereabouts before then are unknown.

Miu and K1-B0 were at her lab. They hadn't left it until after the murder occurred.

Angie was supposedly walking around the courtyard.

Tsumugi had gone to the dining hall but left before Himiko arrived. She said that she had gone to use the restroom, then went to her room a bit after.

The alibis I find problematic are Kokichi's, Maki's, Angie's, and Tsumugi's. No one is able to confirm them.

The rest of the evidence uncovered were things that I had set up, like the book staircase or the flash from the cameras. Soon, our investigation came to an end.

"Alright! It's time for what you've all been waiting for- the class trial! Please assemble in front of the Shrine of Judgement in the courtyard! Remember that red door surrounded by plants? It's just on the other side. From there is where the trial will be held. Puhuhu, see you all there!"

The monitor shut off, leaving an eerie silence.

We all headed to the shrine. Once we were all there, the statue shown in the center of the shrine sunk below the fountain it stood on. It revealed a path leading to a gate.

One by one, we went through the gate leading to the class trial grounds.


	24. Our Class Trial

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Small note that if the sentence has (this) in the trial format, it is a thought.

Kaede Akamatsu's P.O.V

Everyone else had boarded onto the elevator. I hesitated to enter, before eventually giving in and entering in as well. I had to fight, even if my life ended because of it. This was my, no, our last chance at exposing the mastermind and ending this killing game once and for all. I couldn't give up now. Not at a time like this.

As the elevator began its descent down, a few people made comments here and there. Their voices were hushed, with the exception of a few like Kokichi and Kaito. I fidgeted with my fingers, trying to drown out all of the anxiety I was feeling at that moment. I needed to distract myself somehow.

Eventually, the elevator came to a halt. The door slowly opened to reveal what awaited us on the other side.

"Welcome to the class trial!"

I turned my gaze over to five smaller podiums to see the monokubs. My gaze then trailed off to see the room as a whole. It looked like an authentic replica of a courtroom. I felt my hands clench up.

"Why are you making us do this!? Is this fun for you?" I stared down at the five smaller robots.

Soon after, the monochrome bear showed up.

"Of course! Putting children in life or death scenarios is the best kind of entertainment!"

"Wow, this is so sickening that it's almost refreshing. So, how do we get this game going?" Kokichi asked.

"There are podiums over there. Please stand behind the one with your name behind it," Monokuma directed.

Following his instructions, we headed to our respective podiums. As I headed towards mine, an image of his body flashed through my mind.

Shuichi...

All he wanted to be was for all of us to get out of here alive. He wanted to expose the mastermind and end this, so I will do just that. I...I wouldn't even mind if I had to put my own life on the line. That's all I can do for Shuichi now.

The mastermind who's controlling Monokuma and forcing us to play this killing game...I don't think I'll ever be fully prepared to find out who that person is. But, we have to find out, so we can lift our suspicions of one another. I can't show any fear here, I need to push through.

I will face this life-or-death class trial!

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Class Trial Start!

Monokuma: Ahem, now then, let's begin with a basic explanation of the class trial! During the class trial, you'll present your arguments for who the culprit is and vote for "whodunit".

Monokuma: Vote correctly, and only the blackened will be punished. But if you vote for the wrong person... I'll punish everyone *besides* the blackened and that person will graduate from this academy! Also, refusing to vote will result in your death, so you better vote for someone!

Monokuma: Now with all of that out of the way, let's get this crazy-awesome trial underway!

Kaede Akamatsu: ...So, it's starting, huh?

Kokichi Oma: Oh man, I haven't been in a trial in, like, forever!

Tsumugi Shirogane: Does that mean you have experience in this?

Kokichi Oma: Yep! Since I'm a leader of evil and stuff. I've done a loooot of bad things.

Kaito Momota: So what are we supposed to do? Where do we even start?

Gonta Gokuhara: Gonta never done trial before...Not sure where to begin.

Tenko Chabashira: First, let's breathe in, then breathe out! We need to remember our "No, No, No's"! No pushing! No running! No talking!

K1-B0: But isn't communication the foundation of any discussion?

Kirumi Tojo: We should not worry about our procedure, especially since this is not a normal trial. Each of us will be serving as a potential culprit, lawyer, prosecutor, and jury member at the same time. Let us proceed with that in mind, shall we?

Korekiyo Shinguji: Then might I offer the first topic?

Miu Iruma: Don't fucking get ahead of us! Ya tryin' to start some fucking problems!?

Kaede Akamatsu: C-Calm down... How about we listen to him first?

Angie Yonaga: Atua has spoken... He says that he agrees with Miss Akamatsu's suggestion.

Korekiyo Shinguji: I'll begin the conversation then. There's something that I have found...curious. Why didn't the culprit take advantage of the first blood perk?

Ryoma Hoshi: I bet they just wanted to do a class trial real bad.

Miu Iruma: Then Monokuma's the culprit duh-doy! Cuz this whole class trial thing was his idea! Easy-peasy! I'm a fucking genius!

Rantaro Amami: Wait. Is it even possible for Monokuma to be the culprit?

Monokuma: Of course not! I would never do anything to you guys *directly*.

Kaede Akamatsu: Even if *you* can't, it's a different situation for the person controlling you, right?

Monokuma: ..hm?

Kaede Akamatsu: Is it possible that the person controlling you killed Saihara?

Monokuma: A person controlling me? What do you mean?

Kaede Akamatsu: Don't play dumb with me! Who is the mastermind controlling you guys!?

Rantaro Amami: Well, chances are that it's got to be one of us.

Kokichi Oma: It's gotta be Kee-boy over there! Everyone thinks so too!

K1-B0: D-Does everyone really think that?!

Kaede Akamatsu: ...We'll get to the bottom of this...

Korekiyo Shinguji: Before we get to the mastermind, we must uncover the culprit first.

Kirumi Tojo: We could begin by understanding where everyone was located during the incident.

Kaito Momota: You mean alibis?

Kirumi Tojo: Yes. If I am correct, Akamatsu had that written down?

Kaede Akamatsu: Well, yes, but before that, I need to tell you all something that might be helpful in this case.

Kaede Akamatsu: While we were exploring when we first came here, Saihara and I found a hidden door not only in the library but also in the girls' restroom.

Tenko Chabashira: That degenerate male went in the girls' restroom?!

Kaede Akamatsu: ...I went in and told Saihara about it.

Kaede Akamatsu: We placed pictures in the library and ...outside of the girls' restroom.

Kaede Akamatsu: Eventually, we decided that we would try and expose the mastermind. We created a plan that involved Harukawa, Yumeno, Oma, Amami, Momota, Saihara, and I.

Kaede Akamatsu: Harukawa and Yumeno would keep an eye on the girls' restroom. Amami and Momota would watch the library's entrance. Oma guarded the stairs that lead to the basement, and finally, Saihara and I were in the classroom near those stairs.

Kaede Akamatsu: So, I guess that would mean Yumeno, Amami, Harukawa, and Momota have alibis since one was watching over the other.

Maki Harukawa: Well, I don't have a solid alibi since Yumeno left me to find Saihara before the incident.

Himiko Yumeno: I sprained my ankle on the way, and Tenko found me hurt. She took me to the dining hall where I found Tojo and Gokuhara. Later on, Ryoma and Shinguji walked in.

Kaede Akamatsu: Is your ankle feeling better?

Himiko Yumeno: Mhm.

Korekiyo Shinguji: Let's not get side-tracked. We should listen to everyone else's alibis.

Rantaro Amami: I'll go next. I was with Momota most of the time. I briefly went into the library to check an odd noise when Saihara came in and told me to run. I did as I was told, and I'm guessing he died soon after. If I knew that was going to happen, I would have stayed.

Kaito Momota: It's not your fault. It's not anyone's fault except for the murderer.

Kaede Akamatsu: (Anyone except me.)

Kirumi Tojo: May you speak next K1-B0?

K1-B0: Of course. Iruma and I were in her lab, and we didn't leave the lab at all until the body discovery announcement played.

Kaito Momota: at all?

K1-B0: We went to her lab after breakfast and stayed there the entire time. She said she wanted to modify my-

Miu Iruma: Don't tell em any more information unless it's important!

Tsumugi Shirogane: Well, ok then. I was at the dining hall before I left to use the restroom. I went to my room after using the restroom.

Rantaro Amami: What were you doing Yonaga?

Angie Yonaga: Oh! I was just strolling around the courtyard! I wasn't doing anything bad. I swear on Atua!

Maki Harukawa: Well, we'll figure that out sooner or later.

Rantaro Amami: What about you Oma?

Kokichi Oma: Huh? Oh nothing much, just guarding the stairs to the basement per usual. How 'bout you?

Maki Harukawa: Now's not the time for this moron. Why did you suddenly disappear while you were 'supposed to' have been watching those stairs?

Kokichi Oma: I mean, I wasn't obligated to stay there.

Maki Harukawa: You little-

Kaede Akamatsu: And that leaves me. I was with Saihara most of the time before he went down to check the library. I stayed in the classroom until Momota got all the people involved in the plan together, minus Saihara. I volunteered to try and find him, and that's when I found his body. I went to tell the others which took me about 5 minutes in total. By then, his body was already gone.

Tsumugi Shirogane: If you don't mind, could you describe the body to us? It could provide us a clue.

Kaede Akamatsu: S-Sure. If I remember correctly, he was bleeding from his forehead, and he was positioned right in front of the hidden door. He laid on the floor sideways, and a shot put ball was near him. That's as much as I can remember right now. I'm sorry.

Korekiyo Shinguji: No, thank you Akamatsu. That may help us with figuring out how he was killed.

Tenko Chabashira: From the information we got so far, it seems that Akamatsu, Harukawa, Yonaga, Shirogane, and Oma's alibis aren't defended. By the process of elimination, Oma is the culprit! He's a degenerate male and lovely females would never do such a crime!

Kokichi Oma: That's so cruel of you to say Chabashira! I would never ever ever commit such a thing.

Rantaro Amami: We just need to discuss a bit more before we jump to conclusions.

Kirumi Tojo: Let us go over the events now that we have established where everyone was during the crime.

Kaede Akamatsu: Let's see. It was four hours before the time limit would end. Everyone apart of the plan got into their positions.

Maki Harukawa: Yumeno and I saw... something and I told her to go tell Saihara about it.

Kaito Momota: What was that something?

Maki Harukawa: Nothing that would relate to this case. (For now)

Maki Harukawa: Anyway, that was about 2 hours before the time limit. She sprained her ankle on the way and was taken to the dining hall as a result.

Tsumugi Shirogane: Wait, didn't you see me go to the restroom before she left?

Maki Harukawa: ...Um yes. I think so.

Tsumugi Shirogane: See? I wasn't lying!

Rantaro Amami: Well, in that case, Tsumugi is out of suspicion.

Maki Harukawa: I guess so. (Not for long. I need to mention *that* soon.)

Kaito Momota: Anyway, during all of that, Miu and K1-B0 were in her lab. Nothing important happened during that time?

K1-B0: Actually, now that I think about it, Yonaga did stop by at one point to see what we were doing. I think she stayed around for about 10 minutes before she left. Since my hearing range is higher than most humans, I faintly heard her hum here and there.

Kaede Akamatsu: Why are you telling us this now?!

K1-B0: I-I'm sorry! My memory is lagging a bit, so I might not remember crucial things right away.

Rantaro Amami: Well, I guess that means Yonaga is out of the question as well.

Himiko Yumeno: This leaves Akamatsu, Oma, and Harukawa.

Kirumi Tojo: Oma, I want a serious answer from you when I ask this; What we're you doing before the time limit went off?

Kokichi Oma: Fineeee, I was looking for anyone that tried to go through the basement. Haha, I kinda forgot that I was supposed to be near the basement stairs in the first place.

Kaito Momota: Well, I already found Oma while Amami was still in the library. So I'm guessing Oma couldn't have killed him. I found Makiroll still near the bathroom, so I doubt she could've done it.

Kokichi Oma: And that leaves the lovely Kaede Akamatsu.

Kaede Akamatsu: Huh!?

Kokichi Oma: Think about it. She was with him in the classroom before he left. She knew where he was going. She met up with the others and volunteered to find him since that would have been the perfect time to kill someone.

Kaede Akamatsu: But-

Kokichi Oma: She found him in the library, and probably hit him with a shot put ball or some thingamajig like that. She could have lied to us about it being five minutes. It could have taken longer since she had to dispose of the body.

Kaede Akamatsu: But why would I want to kill anyone, let alone one of my closest friends!?

Kokichi Oma: Dunno. But I mean, my idea makes sense, and it seems plausible. Sooo, you're kinda making yourself seem suspicious.

Rantaro Amami: Sorry Akamatsu, but Oma's got a point.

Angie Yonaga: Atua does seem to find you very suspicious.

Maki Harukawa: I think we need to talk about this a bit more-

Monokuma: So it seems you all have come to a conclusion! Let's go ahead and start the voting! On your podiums, there should be a little screen. On there you can vote for who you think the blackened-

???: WAIT!

Class Trial Paused?

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kaede Akamatsu's P.O.V

As I turned to see where the voice came from, I saw someone I would have never thought to see again. I felt myself start to tear up.


	25. Our Class Trial II

Kaede Akamatsu's P.O.V

"S-Shuichi..?"

I felt the tears that I had been holding spill out.

A pale boy with olive eyes and ebony hair entered the trial grounds that we were in. There was no doubt about it. It was the supposed victim, Shuichi Saihara.

I desperately wanted to run up to him and hug him tightly, but this wouldn't really be the best time to do so.

The others who had their backs facing him turned around, having similar gasps and murmurs of shock and disbelief.

"W-W-WHAT!? HOW ARE YOU-" Monokuma had started before quieting down soon after.

"I would be asking the same thing. I don't know how I managed to survive or why I was targeted but I do know one thing. It was the mastermind who tried to get rid of me, " Shuichi explained.

Shuichi gave me a quick look of sympathy before continuing.

"Akamatsu didn't commit the murder. She isn't the mastermind either. ...There's something Harukawa, Yumeno, and I have been hiding from you."

"Before you continue with all that nonsense, how about you take your place in the podium? We have to continue the class trial after all!" Monokuma interrupted.

Shuichi opened his mouth as if he was going to refuse, but then shook his head and walked to his podium.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Class Trial Resumed (?)

Kaito Momota: Well, glad to see you alive sidekick!

Himiko Yumeno: Harukawa and I really thought you left us for good.

Kokichi Oma: Well anyway, don't you got some explaining to do? Unless you want me to spoil the surprise for them.

Maki Harukawa: Wait, what? Saihara don't tell me you-

Shuichi Saihara: H-Harukawa, Yumeno, and I come from the future...

Miu Iruma: You expect us to believe that bullshit!? As if! Time travel is impossible dumbass!

Kokichi Oma: Maybe learn to stop making such dumbass comments, and keep your smelly breath in your dirty mouth.

Miu Iruma: D-Dumbass comments?

Kokichi Oma: Anyway, continue what you were saying Shumai.

Shuichi Saihara: O-Okay then. I don't really know how I managed to turn back time as I thought it was impossible as well, but here we are. Harukawa, Yumeno, and I decided that we would try to stop this game from starting this time. The killing game did start in the previous timeline that we were in.

Shuichi Saihara: It started with Rantaro being the first victim. Kaede was executed for it, but she was framed. We wanted to stop that from happening this time around.

Kaede Akamatsu: ...Why didn't you tell us about this sooner? We could have avoided all of this...

Shuichi Saihara: I'm sorry Akamatsu. I didn't know how you guys would react to this, so I decided to not say anything about it to anyone.

Kokichi Oma: B-But what about me?? Do I not count as a human being? Words hurt Shumai.

Kaito Momota: YOU TOLD HIM BUT NOT US!?

Shuichi Saihara: He pressured me into telling him! He wouldn't leave me alone!

Maki Harukawa: I'm disappointed in you...

Miu Iruma: How do we even know you're telling the truth anyway? You've been pretty lovey-dovey with Bakamatsu lately. You're probably just trying to cover for her!

Himiko Yumeno: I don't really think Harukawa or I would go along with Saihara's story if it wasn't true. Especially Harukawa.

Kaito Momota: Yep! I know for a fact that Makiroll wouldn't act like this is true if it really wasn't! Plus, Saihara wouldn't lie about something like that!

Maki Harukawa: S-Stop acting like you know me, idiot.

Rantaro Amami: Anyway, if you came from the future and all that, do you know who the mastermind is?

Shuichi Saihara: Mhm. It's-

Tsumugi Shirogane: How can we know if he's really telling the truth though? We've all only known each other for a few weeks!

Kaede Akamatsu: Saihara would never lie about something as serious as this. Maybe I have only known him for a few weeks, but if you try hard enough, that's all the time you need to understand someone completely. It's pretty rare, but giving the circumstances that we are in, it's very much possible.

Shuichi Saihara: Akamatsu...

Gonta Gokuhara: Gonta believes in all his friends as well! Saihara is telling the truth!

Kirumi Tojo: I will believe in Saihara as well. I doubt he would lie if it would cost him his life to do so.

Angie Yonaga: Atua and I will trust in Saihara as well!

Rantaro Amami: Well, like everyone else, I don't think you're lying either. So, who's the mastermind doing all of this?

Shuichi Saihara: It's...Tsumugi Shirogane.

Kaito Momota: W-What?

Tsumugi Shirogane: ...

Kaede Akamatsu: Shirogane say something!

Tsumugi Shirogane: ...

Shuichi Saihara: She was the one that hit me with a shot put ball and hid my unconscious body. She was trying to frame Akamatsu with my "murder". She was going to start the killing game this way.

Shuichi Saihara: You had a feeling that I knew a little too much, didn't you Shirogane? You were trying to get rid of me and Akamatsu since we were the most problematic issue in your plan, am I right?

Rantaro Amami: I-Is this true Shirogane?

Miu Iruma: Say something already Goddamn it!

Tsumugi Shirogane: ...I should have realized putting a detective in a killing game was a dumb idea...


	26. The Ultimate Cosplayer's Demise (Arc 1 Finale)

Shuichi Saihara's P.O.V

"Well, it seems that the detective has destroyed the mastermind's plan! I should have seen that coming, but sadly I was a bit too reckless," Tsumugi exclaimed.

She wore a twisted expression on her face, similar to the one in the past.

"But wow, to think that you came from a different timeline where my plan actually worked, that's fascinating! Maybe it was the work of a fan that caused such a thing!"

"Fan? What are you saying?" Rantaro questioned.

Tsumugi paused her rambling to regain her composure. "Oh, nevermind. It's nothing you all need to worry about."

"But yes, I was the one that orchestrated this wonderful game! Sadly, it had to cut short before anything fun could actually happen. I had planned and tested all of your executions as well..."

"W-What!?" Kaito shouted with a look of terror in his eyes.

Tsumugi ignored the fearful shout and stares from the others. She turned her gaze in Akamatsu's direction.

"Especially yours. I had put so much attention to detail when it came to your execution. It's such a shame I have to put it to waste, even when I was so close to giving you that guilty verdict, well unless..."

"Leave her out of this. Leave everyone out of this. I won't let you lay a finger on Akamatsu or anyone else. I've shown that you're guilty, and I highly doubt you would go against your own rules and execute someone who is innocent," I stated.

"*Sigh* You're such a pest. But yes, you won. Such a pity too," Tsumugi spoke with a displeased tone in her voice.

"I'm very disappointed in you Shirogane. To deceive us in the way you did, I'm saddened by the thought," Kirumi added.

"Wait, but if we're going along the rules of this game, Shirogane technically didn't kill anyone. Shuichi's here alive and well, so she shouldn't get executed," Kokichi began.

"YOU LITTLE-"

"Let me finish. She technically shouldn't get executed, but since she caused us all our suffering and basically kidnapped us, I think that's enough to say that she should be executed."

"Hmmm, I would say he has a point. Plus, I would want to at least end this show with an execution. It's not like you all will be able to escape anyway!"

"We'll find a way to escape! We can figure it out by ourselves," Kaito exclaimed with confidence.

"That confidence will be your downfall. If you think you can do it all by yourselves, then do just that. But, you're quite lucky that I'm feeling generous today. I'll give you one hint on how to escape. (It'll be entertaining for everyone else to watch anyway.) If you want to get out of here, you must uncover the secrets of this academy and this killing game."

Why hasn't she said that we're fictional characters yet? Was that a lie before?

Everyone, for the most part, stayed silent, with the exception of a few silent curses. There wasn't anything you could say at this moment, and all you could do was stay silent. Well, except for Kaede Akamatsu.

"Why did you create this killing game? What did any one of us do to deserve this!?"

"One thing. Entertainment."

Why does that sound so familiar??

"Well, it seems like my time is up! Monokuma, go ahead and start the execution!"

"Without further ado, LET'S GIVE IT EVERYTHING WE'VE GOT! IT'S PUNISHMENT TIME!"

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Tsumugi looks below her to find a chain clamped on to her neck. She doesn't bear a face of surprise, fear, or any emotion whatsoever. It's as if she was expecting this outcome from the very beginning. She gets dragged away immediately into a red door hidden from view earlier. She is strapped into a seat in a studio filled with mannequins, fabrics, and sewing kits. The floor in front of her opens up to reveal a sewing station rising from its placement.

A Cosplayer's Last Design!  
The Ultimate Cosplayer's Execution

A screen popped up in front of Tsumugi. It requested that a very complicated cosplay design should be created and finished within ten minutes. Tsumugi got to work immediately grabbing the fabrics and strings needed to complete the task. She rushed to complete the design as quickly as possible, which caused her fingers to be pricked several times. Sometimes, the needle would even pierce through her fingers completely, which would give out quite a bit of blood. Her blood stained the fabric, and in some areas completely drenched the fabric in her blood. She was struggling to keep a fast pace, and the timer was running out. As the timer reached the two-minute mark, needles were being flung by the Monokubs in her direction. She desperately tried to dodge them before two landed on her throat and shoulder. Her face twisted into an expression of shock and excitement as blood trickled down from her throat. The straps that kept her in the chair were loosened. She collapsed onto the floor, wearing a grin of satisfaction. Before she gave her final breath, she glanced at my direction and gave me a twisted smile. That expression stayed on her corpse as a pool of blood surrounded her.

.

.

.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the screen faded to black, the silence only grew. I, along with many others, wore expressions of fear on our faces.

"I-I know what she did was terrible and all, but that was a shitty way to go," Miu commented, her voice wavering.

Others made similar comments, but I felt differently. Being the indirect cause of all our friends' deaths, I couldn't forgive such a thing. In fact, I'm relieved she's finally gone.

Monokuma and the kubs stood completely still, not making any movements or comments. I'm guessing that with no one to control them, they'll just stay in place collecting dust.

Most people had left the trial grounds by now, probably trying to recollect themselves from what they had witnessed. Maki, Himiko, Kaito, Kokichi, Kaede, and Rantaro had stayed along with me.

"Well, I'm glad that's over." Kokichi gave a sigh of relief.

"But, on a serious note, I'm grateful that you are alive and well, Sidekick. Who else am I going to train with?"

"Well, maybe Harukawa?" Himiko mentioned.

"...You're right."

"Well, we should probably head to our dorms to rest. We need a fresh mind to look for a way to get out of here after all," Rantaro reminded.

"I'll just stay here for a little bit longer before I head to the dorms."

Rantaro nodded, and everyone else with the exception of me and Kaede headed to the dorms.

Once they left, Kaede pulled me into a tight embrace.

"I-I was so scared that you were gone. I'm so glad you're okay!"

"I'm so sorry Akamatsu. I never meant for it turn out this way."

I started to tear up.

"If anything, I'm so happy that I managed to save you. I-I missed you so much, and when you died, I would have always wished that I could've done something different. That I could've saved you. I-I'm grateful that my wish came true, and that you're alive here with me now."

"Saihara, why did I even matter so much to you? I was useless when it came to your plan, and I was just an emotional mess the entire time..." Kaede trailed off.

I separated from the embrace to make eye contact with her.

"No that's wrong! You matter so much to me because you comforted me, both then and now. If it weren't for you and Kaito, I wouldn't be the person that I am today. I lo-"

I stopped myself before I could say anything else.

What if she didn't feel the same way? She probably does, but I don't know if I want to risk it. There's probably a better time and place to say it anyway.

"Saihara? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. We should probably start heading out now."

"...Okay then."

We walked out of the trial grounds, hoping to never see them again.


	27. The Aftermath (Arc 2)

Shuichi Saihara's P.O.V

I woke up the next day, after the events of yesterday. I exhaled a sigh of relief as I propped myself up.

I did it. I really did it.

Everyone's alive and safe. We just need to figure out a way to get out of here.

I got out of bed and started to get myself ready for the day. As I was doing so, I noticed that it was 10 am; 2 hours past the morning announcement. I'm guessing with Tsumugi gone, there won't be anyone to regulate the announcements.

I wonder if everyone else is awake.

As I was getting my coat from the closet, my doorbell rang. I was expecting it to be Kaede, but instead it was Kirumi.

"Good morning, Saihara. I've noticed that you overslept, so I came here to check up on you. Are your wounds healing properly?"

I felt the right side of my head to find a few bandages wrapped around my head. I never really noticed them. I'm guessing I never processed the pain since I was so focused on getting to the trial.

"I'm not too sure. Would it be fine if you checked a bit later?"

"Of course." Kirumi briefly bowed her head and left.

I looked at my hat that was hanging on the coat rack. I shook my head and went to the dining hall.

Once I arrived, I noticed everyone else gathered there. Well, everyone except Kaede.

"Took you long enough! Now we just need Akamatsu!" Kaito exclaimed.

Kokichi walked out of the kitchen and sat in his seat. "I mean, we can just start without her. Someone can just talk to her about this later."

"But-"

As Kokichi and Kaito bickered, I turned around to see Kaede behind me. She quietly greeted me with a small smile.

"Why are they bickering?" Kaede asked me in a whisper.

"Just over something petty. Did you sleep well?"

"I should be asking you the same thing! Those wounds look pretty bad. I'm surprised you aren't already in a coma of sorts!"

Kaede rested her hand on the bandages, which made me flinch.

"Did you ask Kirumi to check them out?"

"Mhm."

"That's good. Did you get something to eat already?" Kaede questioned.

"Don't worry about me Akamatsu, I'm fine."

"You promise?"

I nodded. "I promise."

Their bickering finally quieted down. Kaito turned in my direction to see Kaede standing beside me.

"Now we have everyone!"

Kirumi gestured us to take a seat, which Kaede and I complied with.

"Sooo, does the time-traveling trio have any ideas they like to share?" Kokichi pondered.

I thought back to when we escaped. Keebo had shattered the barrier, which Maki, Himiko, and I walked through. I decided to not bring it up as it would cost Keebo's life in the process. I wanted everyone to stay alive, human or not.

I shook my head. Maki and Himiko also stayed silent.

"You guys aren't lying, right? You all want us to get out of this place, so you better not be anyway," Kokichi commented.

"I doubt he's lying. I guess we'll just stay here for a bit longer until we can find anything," Kaede defended.

"That's pretty out of character for you Ms.Kaede." Kokichi put his hands behind his head.

"I thought you wanted us to get out of here as quickly as possible."

"I still do! I just...I don't want anyone to be pressured into sharing a solution they don't have. We aren't being forced to kill anyone anymore, so we don't really have a time limit."

"What about our food supply? That could totally run out quickly!" Kokichi refuted.

"I have checked our food supply, and it should last us for about five years," Kirumi interrupted.

"...Whatever." Kokichi got up from his seat and headed towards the door.

Kaede sighed. "We could meet up here every day at the same time. We'll share ideas if we have any, and this will continue until we find a way out."

"Why are you suddenly acting like a fucking leader!? You almost became a fucking murderer if it weren't for your boytoy over there," Miu cursed.

"...don't call him that."

"What?"

"I said don't call him that! I'm sick and tired of your own bullshit! Can't you just learn to shut your own mouth for once!?" Kaede slammed her hands onto the table, glaring at Miu.

Miu whimpered as Kaede stood up for herself.

"Akamatsu, calm down please," Rantaro spoke.

She stood in place for a moment. Her eyes started to water. She quickly turned around and walked to the exit.

"Akamatsu?" I got up from my seat.

Her pace quickened, and she headed out of the door.

I stood there dumbfounded, not sure if I should follow her or not. I decided in the end that I should.

I quickly ran out to look for her.


	28. Promise

I went to Kaede's lab. I had a feeling that she would most likely be in there. 

As I got closer to her lab, I heard a faint melody being played. When I reached her door, I slowly opened it, trying to not interrupt her playing.

I entered the room quietly and closed the door behind me. Her playing continued for a little bit before it abruptly stopped.

"I know you're here Saihara."

Kaede moved her hands from the piano to her lap. Her facial expression was hidden by her hair, so I had to go off of her tone of voice and body language alone.

"O-Oh um, are you okay Akamatsu? I came here to check up on you after that situation."

She stayed silent, her posture stiffening up. I still couldn't see her face, but I noticed a few droplets on the keys just below her head.

"Akamatsu..."

I went closer to her to see tears slowly drip down her face and hear muffled sobs.

"...I'm so sorry Saihara. I'm causing issues for you, and I couldn't even control my own emotions. The worst part is that what Iruma said was right. If it weren't for you, I would be a murderer. If I still had murderous intentions, wouldn't that still make me guilty? I shouldn't just be let go like that so easily."

I couldn't stand to see her in such a terrible state. I sat down next to her and made eye contact. I wiped the remaining tears from her face.

"Akamatsu, you aren't causing any issues for me or anyone else. Sadly, people like Miu and Kokichi are still going to be assholes regardless. Try not to take their comments personally. As for you being a potential murderer, there's a difference between doing it out of cold blood and selfish reasons than trying to get rid of the biggest threat who could harm us. Your intentions were completely different from those of a murderer."

"Of course, I would say trying to murder a mastermind without having a solid lead isn't the best idea, but you had a time limit to do so. You were rushed, so you had to think of something fast. But, again, your intentions are what prevent me from hating you for attempted murder."

Kaede quickly pulled me into another tight embrace, which threw me off-guard. I collected myself before I eventually hugged her back. I felt her heartbeat slow down, indicating that she was calming down.

"What would I do without you Saihara..?"

"I don't know, but hopefully you'll never have to worry about that anytime soon. I'm not going anywhere, and that's a promise."

Kaede eventually let go and gave out an awkward laugh.

"I cry way too much around you. It must get tiring after a while," Kaede commented.

"Of course not. I don't mind it one bit. Plus, I already know that you can get pretty emotional easily, so I know what to expect."

Kaede gave me a grateful smile.

I got up from the bench. "How about we go to Miu's place for an apology? I think you need one since that was pretty cruel of her to do what she did."

"...Sure, but you're coming with me. I prefer to at least be humiliated with you than by myself."

"Deal."

\----------------------------------------------------------------------

We went back to the dining hall to see if Miu was still there. She was, along with Kokichi and Keebo. They were bickering about something inaudible, but it still concerned us all the same.

"CUM DUMPSTER WHORE!"

"YOU LITTLE FUCKING ABORTION!"

"Iruma and Oma, please stop!"

Kaede and I audibly sigh. This was going to be a long day.

.

.

.

We managed to eventually break them up with the help of Keebo. Kaede and I were too emotionally exhausted to deal with Miu any longer, so we decided to just forget about that apology.

Kaede and I just decided to hang out around the courtyard to pass the time.

"I can't wait to get out of here! I want to be able to hang out with you normally instead of sitting around just because we're trapped here." Kaede slumped against a tree.

"I know what you mean. But who knows how long we'll be in here for..."

"Hopefully not for long! We'll figure something out!" Kaede exclaimed enthusiastically.

Her smile was contagious, and I ended up wearing a smile the whole time I was with her. I had a lot of fun with her walking around the courtyard and talking about whatever came to mind.

I just hope that I'll be able to see that smile for a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that, the book is up to date! Hopefully, I'll post a new chapter once a week on Saturday here. School's a pain in the neck though, so no promises lol.


	29. Get to know You

Shuichi Saihara's P.O.V

I went to the dining hall with Kaede, as usual, the next day.

Everyone else was there, and they all seemed to be discussing something.

"So you're telling me that you found a manhole in the boiler room?" Kaito questioned.

"Yes, Gonta is very sure of what he saw!"

Kaede and I silently took a seat as the conversation continued.

"The manhole could be a way out. We haven't really found an exit yet, so this is probably the closest thing to one," Rantaro mentioned.

"Amami's right. Shirogane isn't here to stop us, so we might as well try! Gokuhara, could you show us where?" Kaede asked.

"Of course!"

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

We arrived at the place Gonta was talking about. Gonta removed the manhole cover, and we entered the area.

It was the same place where Maki, Himiko, Kokichi, me, and a few others found out about the world being in ruins. We don't have Miu's inventions to get past the traps yet, so I wonder if the traps will be deactivated since Tsumugi is gone.

Otherwise, we're going to be here for a while.

.  
.  
.

The same events occurred as last time. We couldn't get through the traps, and we eventually got tired and gave up.

"L-Let's...try once more," Kaede suggested, her legs wavering as she struggled to get up.

"You said that more times then I can count. Face it Kaede, we can't get through these traps," Kokichi rebutted, laying against a wall looking genuinely pissed.

"Y'know, we wouldn't be fucking struggling right now if it wasn't for you, Bakamatsu!" Miu added.

Kaede looked at the ground and clenched her fists for a moment, before letting her hands fall back to her sides.

"You're right. I'm pretty stupid for bringing you all into this."

It hurt me to see her like this. I quickly placed my hand onto her shoulder before she could walk off.

"That isn't true. You aren't a burden or an idiot. I promise you that."

She looked up at me for a moment, tears starting to form in her eyes. She looked back down and wiped her tears before they could fall onto her face.

"T-Thank you, Saihara."

"We all think that. In fact, you're probably one of the only people actually bothering to try and find a way out, which is pretty admirable if I'm to be honest," Rantaro mentioned, smiling in Kaede's direction.

Everyone except Miu and Kokichi agreed.

Kaede looked up at everyone, and a small smile appeared on her face.

"Thanks, Amami."

"Don't mention it."

"Well, since our previous methods were not effective, what should we do?" Keebo questioned.

I thought about it for a quick second before remembering the answer to that question.

"Maybe Iruma could build something to get us through?"

Miu looked somewhat flustered? when her name was mentioned.

"M-Me? Well, I mean, of course, it would be me! I'm a damn genius after all!" Miu spoke, her usual demeanor returning.

"More like a dumbass, pig whore," Kokichi added.

"You little shit!"

"That is enough. If you two are to fight, please do it elsewhere," Kirumi suggested, her tone being very stern.

They both stayed silent, not bothering to refute her. That surprised me, but given how annoyed Kirumi seems, it wouldn't be smart to talk back to her anyway

We walked out of the sewers and carried with our day.

Kaede and I were walking to the dorms when she stopped. I turned my body to face her.

"Akamatsu?"

"I-I wanted to thank you for standing up for me. I really appreciate it!"

"That's what friends are for right?" I smiled.

"...(is it really just friendship?)" Kaede muttered.

I wasn't able to hear her.

"Huh?"

"Nothing!"

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

I stayed in my dorm for a few hours before I heard a knock. I got up and opened the door.

"Hi! Is it okay if I spent time with you for a bit?" Kaede asked.

I nodded.

She went into my room and I closed the door. She sat on my bed, and I followed.

After a few moments of silence, Kaede finally spoke.

"I've been thinking. We don't really hang out normally as friends often, so I was wondering if we could change that," she continued. "I want to know random things about you, like your favorite colors or flavors or even personalities. I want to know what you do in your free time. What I'm trying to say is that I want to know you better. Is...that okay?"

"Of course it's fine. You're probably one of the very few people that I don't mind opening-up to, so I wouldn't mind at all."

Kaede sighed in relief. "I'm glad."

She got up and brushed her skirt off of any dust. She went to the coat stand and grabbed my hat hanging on it. She then proceeded to put it on her head.

"Well, how do I look?" She grinned.

I snickered. "Ridiculous."

"Heyyy!"

In truth, I thought she looked beautiful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've lost motivation in writing this story, and I don't know if I'll get that motivation back soon. I've lead you guys on long enough, and I'm not as passionate about this as I used to be.
> 
> Maybe I'll continue writing this story one day, but I doubt it. If anyone would like to take over this fic to finish it, I won't mind, just be sure to alert me first. I'm really sorry to all of you guys who were really excited to see it through to the end, but I just can't think of any ideas anymore. I hope that this chapter could be satisfying enough for the ending, at the very least anyway.
> 
> ごめんなさい. -Qwerti


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